Opening | Andrzej Łabuz | Sitting on a blanket with Sitting Bull

We invite you to the opening of the exhibition by Andrzej Łabuz entitled I Sit on a Blanket with the Sitting Bull. The event will take place on 23 October at 18:00 at the PKZ Art Gallery (level -1).

The exhibition includes a set of works in the form of painting, graphics, drawing and objects, the main theme of which is the texture of the material. The blanket mentioned in the title - a symbol of the assimilation of Indians by settlers who arrived in North America - is the most important element for the presented set, connecting all the hidden threads.

When I asked Andrzej Łabuz why the exhibition has such a title, he replied that there are many reasons — adding that at least one that admits a mistake that could change the letter “o” to “a”. And it is known that such a funny twist of fate in the type of prick or typo pushes the context in a completely different direction. It is difficult to exhale anything from Andrzej, and something more serious - this already borders on a real miracle.

I met him in 1981 at the High School of Fine Arts exams and together with the help of paints we realized the theme “Circus”. Then for many years we did a lot of other

topics, including — for us, the most important — “Good fun”. Most of these activities were definitely performative in nature. I think I know Andrzej Łabuz quite well, but Indian issues did not accompany our struggles too intensely. It was a more private area for him.

One might wonder, then, who for Andrew the sitting bull in the title is, beyond the well-known historical identification describing the Indian chief and shaman of the Hunkpapa tribe. To what extent is he a symbol of the steadfastness and perversity of fate, which ultimately turns the hero and man of freedom into a slave locked in a reservation. To what extent does the author himself identify with the chief, who wins the great battle of the “Little Bighorn”, and then falls, becoming a member of Buffalo Bill's circus group. And whether it is, in fact, a fall, or a simple twist of fate, which, as always, bends its neck under the onslaught of emerging circumstances. Although we are all tragic characters, the drama of Sitting Bull was significant and spectacular. Such fates in life are patterns of drama, creating a shadow for our little playthroughs. Although seemingly everything is divided into things smaller and larger, more important and less important, in reality it is not a very significant structure of transience.

Perhaps Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and Red Cloud, portrayed with the help of graphic solutions, are to some extent a self-portrait of the artist. “To some extent,” because, nevertheless, Andrew is more like Charles Bronson, and not the head of the valiant Sioux. Especially Bronson, who as Valdez chases horses and a certain blonde in the famous western. Undoubtedly, Valdez and Andrew also share a great respect and admiration for the Indians, which in both cases is documented — regardless of which of these resumes is more sucked off the finger. This seemingly out-of-the-box comparison, oscillating around the boundaries of concrete, may lead to obscure rebuses hidden in the set of Andrzej Łabuz's works. Just as the self-portrait is far from the reflection in the mirror that Valdez or the author himself could look at, so are the subsequent connections of the points that are components of the project. Although it must be admitted that the whole set is tailored under the dictates of the fascination with the Wild West and there is no rebound from this content.

Undoubtedly, sitting on a blanket with a chief is prepared quite sparingly, in accordance with the Indian character of the artist. He considers throwing words to the wind an unnecessary action, and

He treats every gust rather as a gift of nature and a possible warning measure. The exhibition consists mostly of solutions that the author has already tested in the past. Here we have fragments of Indian blankets as an abstract etching of the cycle “Coverage” and painting works and showcases filled with scenographic frames related to tribal rites. One of the motifs in both spatial and pictorial works is the mortal platform — an object used for funerary customs. In the dioramas presented by Andrzej Łabuz, the figure of a sleeping or dead Indian covered with a blanket seems especially symbolic. The white small form, devoid of human details, fused with a flatter cover seems to intrigue on many levels—both in terms of its unspoken simplified form and in terms of semantic references. Here you can find historical analogies linked to something that has seemingly gone irretrievably. At the same time, there is also something that is eternal for us, having behind us an indispensable mortal secret, from which it is impossible to escape.

It seems, therefore, that under the guise of belonging to the indigenous peoples of America, the author is smuggling issues relevant at all times. The whole presentation of Andrzej Łabuz is composed of many small details hidden in an interesting and diverse technological structure. The author - under some pressure - admits that the “blanket” for this set is the most important element, connecting all the hidden threads. The blanket becomes a symbol of the equivalent of freedom as a basic component of the reserve equipment listed in the census. And on the other hand, it is also a motif that allows you to move within the framework of minimalist artistic fascinations.

Andrzej Łabuz is certainly a minimalist, like the people he talks about symbolically. After all, they did not have excessive ambitions and needs, and perhaps it was in the context of human possessiveness that became the cause of their alienation. Sitting Bull certainly wanted more and therefore Andrew sat down with him on a blanket to keep quiet together about whether indifference made sense.

Concluding this intricate argument, I hope that the warrior Andrzej will forgive me for this daring improvisation. However, we know each other not from today as members of a common tribe called “Bald Horses”.

Maciej Linttner

Ed. In 1966 he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, Branch in Katowice in the years 1991-1996. Currently a lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice.