Artists Support

About Agnieszka Polska

Agnieszka Polska creates videos, animations and photographs, often using archival or stock material, combining it with animation. There is a certain state of emergency present in her works. It derives from the political and social environment of our time. But rather than moralistically referencing specific matters like ecological issues, or the rise of nationalistic sentiments, the artist focuses on creating an immersive experience for the audience. As a distant but diligent observer, the viewer becomes a prisoner of the video footage and events unfolding before their eyes. It’s the immersion that charges Polska’s videos with political potential.

“I created Firebird 2 during my research on the process of setting the electric grid in Europe in the 20th century: an event of technological breakthrough, that initiated the process of development of technological megastructures into a governing planetary architecture. I am interested in different aspects of the electromagnetic grid: its role as a map of socio-economic power, a tool of control, an emancipating factor, a placeholder for spirituality, an architecture for modern consciousness and later Information Age,” writes the artist.

About Grupa Granica

The humanitarian crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border began in the summer of 2021 and is ongoing. Grupa Granica works on the border providing vital aid and legal support for refugees, helping with the search for missing people, providing translators, psychological services and documenting human rights violations.

The forest along the border is a dense, primeval forest that has a much colder and more humid climate than the surrounding area. It is inhospitable and a dangerous place to navigate and many people crossing through suffer injuries.

Grupa Granica has a 24 hour hotline that utilizes GPS to send locate and assist those in need in emergency situations.

Grupa Granica is also active in detention centers and hospitals along the border.