13.05–02.10.2022
Królikarnia
Puławska 113a, Warsaw, Poland
Curator: Katarzyna Szydłowska-Schiller
Circus shows with the participation of wild animal trainers, acrobats and daredevils have been stimulating the imagination of the audience since the birth of the modern circus, that is since the end of the 18th century. Circus audience was a truly egalitarian place. It was attended by representatives of all social classes, men and women, adults and children. Artists were also fascinated with the circus. They were inspired by freedom and exceeding human capabilities, which they observed during the performances. For some of them, it was a return to the carefree years of their youth, while others appreciated in the circus form an opportunity to escape formalism. Some artists identified with the distinctiveness of circus performers, appreciating their breaking out of existing conventions. Others admired their almost superhuman strength, defying the forces of nature.
The exhibition “CIRCUS” is the result of research conducted mainly in the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw. In our collections, both modern and old, we have about a hundred objects with circus themes, not counting the collection of the Poster Museum in Wilanów, where there are as many as 370 circus posters. These are works of such artists as: Roman Cieślewicz, Ferdynand Léger, Jan Lenica, Leopold Lewicki, Max Liebermann, Jan Młodożeniec, Tymon Niesiołowski, Teresa Pągowska, Pablo Picasso, Henryk Tomaszewski, Witold Wojtkiewicz and Andrzej Wróblewski.
By including works of contemporary artists (Alicja Bielawska, Norbert Delman, Rafał Milach) in the exhibition “CIRCUS” we want to show the continuity of motifs, link the past with the present. We want to create a bridge between the time when the circus was an exceptional, awaited event and the present, when it is only one in the whole range of entertainment.
What the circus meant to the audience in the past and what it means to us now, has been shaped partly by personal experience and partly by its representations in art and literature. This is how the cultural myth of the circus was created. Circus is a dazzling, fantastic show, a cabinet of miracles, a theater of the improbable and even the impossible, giving everyone an opportunity to escape from the grey reality. However, one should remember that circus is not only directed “numbers”. It is a common feeling, common holding of breath, an experience that unites the audience.
“CIRCUS” will not be a traditional exhibition, but a spectacle filled with demonstrations of both circus and artistic skills. The audience can expect a colourful, perverse and ambiguous presentation. The exhibition – just like the circus – will be intended for both adults and children, to be viewed on many levels of intellectual engagement.