Politics of (In)Accessibilities, Citizens with Disabilities and Their Allies

Curatio: Zofia nierodzinska

Participants: Pamela Bożek, Bojka Diving Collective, Daniel Kotowski, Nowolipie Group, Paulina Pankiewicz & Grzegorz Powałka, Joanna Pawlik, Rafał Urbacki, Karolina Wiktor, Liliana Zeic, Katarzyna Żeglicka, Artur Żmijewski.

Location: Galeria Miejska Arsenał, Poznań

Fragment of the curatorial text:

Disability can be an identity a person assumes, a condition they struggle with, a space where they find freedom, or a concept that is used to marginalise and oppress. It can also be all of these things at once.
Sunaura Taylor

The exhibition "Politics of (In)accessibility, Citizens with Disabilities and Their Allies" brings together different experiences and perspectives on the issue of disability, from distanced curiosity, through biographical and allied engagement, to a project of changing the world we live in. In late capitalist reality, disablement takes place on a global scale. Not only human and animal bodies are being exploited and harmed, but also the landscapes in which we live and which we are part of. The well-being of people with and without disabilities is therefore linked to the condition of the planet. As survivors on planet Earth, we must learn to live with the damage caused by the violence of capitalism, colonialism, and speciesism. This is the heritage we get from our ancestors. The ability to cope with it depends on situatedness. "Politics of (In)Accessibility, Citizens with Disabilities, and Their Allies" is a voice, or rather a polyphony of voices, in the discussion about what the category of disability is and could become, and how to use it to bring about a lasting change not only in the way we think, but also in the way our human-nonhuman communities and their institutions function.

More on: https://arsenal.art.pl/en/exhibition/politics-of-inaccessibilities/

The first of the six photos documenting the exhibit “Politics of (In)Accessibilities, Citizens with Disabilities and Their Allies” at the Municipal Gallery Arsenal in Poznan. It shows a red painted wall and floor. On the left is a large-format photograph in wooden frames by Joanna Pawlik depicting a laughing girl with her right leg amputated above the knee. The girl is sitting on a bed, wearing only a T-shirt and panties. Next to the photograph is the exhibition title and an excerpt from the curatorial text. On the wall to the right is a television monitor with a video work by Daniel Kotowski. The view of the exhibition shows the space from a wide perspective. The floor is painted red, as is the wall on the right. The opposite wall is left white. On the right is an installation by Karolina Wiktor consisting of wooden panel objects and a wall painting with letters and signs. In front is Liliana Zeic's installation of fabric hanging from the ceiling to the floor. To the left is Pamela Bożek's work of portrait photography and a gold plaster removed from her son's leg. The photograph is a still frame from a video decumentation of the late artist Rafał Urbacki's performance. The performer is seated in his wheelchair. He is wearing a blue T-shirt and dark jeans. An open book lies on his lap. A microphone stands in front of him on a tripod. The image is dark, the performer is illuminated by a spot light. The image shows a fragment of Artur Żmijewski's work, which consists of four square photographs. The documentation shows naked human bodies. Some of them are able-bodied, others after amputation. Pairs of bodies are arranged very close to each other, forming a kind of hybrid with three legs or two heads. The photograph shows an artistic action by the Nowolipie Group performed in the street, in front of a metal gate. The group members are dressed in gold overalls. They are showing a sign of freedom and solidarity, namely two fingers pointing upwards. In their hand they hold a blue and yellow drawing on paper. Behind them is a fully uniformed and armed police guard. The image documents another day of the workshops with Nowolipie Group, which accompanied the exhibit at the Municipal Gallery Arsenal. Members of the group paint a large-format picture on a wall and table. Two people stand with their backs to the camera, a third stands on a ladder and a fourth mixes the paint on the table.