Galicia, Mon Amour. Folly, Fantasy and Phantasm

Lilla Khoór, Little Warsaw, Gábor Roskó and Bálint Szombathy in Poland

BWA Sokol Gallery of Contemporary Art, Nowy Sacz, Poland
15 June – 29 July 2012
Curator: Danna Heller
Participating Artists: Rimma Arslanov, Anna Artaker, Benni Efrat, Hadassa Goldvicht, Lilla Khoór, Nikifor Krynicki, Little Warsaw (András Gálik and Bálint Havas), Christian Mayer, Uri Nir, Boris Oicherman, Gábor Roskó, Julião Sarmento, Josef Sprinzak, Rona Fon Stern, Bálint Szombathy, Jan Tichy, Arkadiusz Tomalka, Gil Yefman.

The project Modern Art of the Nations of the Former Austrian-Hungarian Empire aims to present the most current and international dimensions of contemporary art in Nowy Sącz, as well as to refer to the identity of the town and the region. Galicia, Mon Amour is the fourth international exhibition in the program. The other events’ curators are Adam Budak, Michal Koleček, Barnabás Bencsik, and Anna Rottenberg.

According to Danna Heller, the word Galicia evokes mixed feelings. The Austro-Hungarian Empire’s biggest and most-populous region embodies a sense of open multi-culturalism, an ideal space that no longer exists. On the other hand, it reminds us of the tragic period of World War II and its disastrous consequences for the Jews and other communities. From a current perspective, it is a demanding task to dissect the characteristics that bring such an international, ‘imported,’ project to the city of Nowy Sącz. It is also difficult to explore Galicia’s attitude towards its current identity and its past. This exhibition attempts to deal with the myth of Galicia in a new way, with the help of irony, absurdity, humor, and folly.