Hidden Life: The Child in Polish Contemporary Art

The exhibition presents the image of a child and childhood as seen through the eyes of more than 40 artists working in the period from the Polish political transformation of the late 1980s and early 1990s to the present day. The project refers to the exhibition Child in Art, realized in 1917 at the Society of Friends of Fine Arts in Krakow, and is an attempt to initiate a discourse about the youngest participants in our social and cultural life. The exhibition addresses the tension associated with different ways of viewing the prenatal period, evokes images of idyllic and identity-forming early childhood, juxtaposes different perspectives on motherhood, fatherhood and family relations, and poses a question about the catalogue of civilisational and cultural patterns shaping the growing human being. It talks about the challenges of the period of socialisation and adolescence, touches on the experience of suffering caused by war, the struggle with illness and the passing of children, and does not omit the thread of the attitude of adults towards their parents. The exhibition is complemented by a space dedicated to children's design and a space for artistic expressions by the youngest female artists visiting the gallery. The project also includes a rich educational programme, including workshops, guided tours - also conducted by children for children - expert debates and a special repertoire of the Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle cinema. The architecture of the exhibition, the form of the accompanying catalogue and the educational prints prepared in adult and children's versions are conducive to including viewers of all ages in full participation in this project.