New Region of the World

The exhibition New Region of the World at the Bunkier Sztuki gallery forms an introduction to the Conrad Festival; the October event focuses on unrest in the contemporary world. The title originates from works by Édouard Glissant, author and intellectual from Martinique. He used the term “new region of the world” to describe places where elements of different cultures engage in equal dialogue where none dominate. Works by artists from several continents, shown at the exhibition, present a wide range of forms of expression from melancholy via grotesque to irony. The artists explore traumas of the past, step beyond discriminating boundaries, and undermine seemingly incontestable dichotomies such as “the same” vs. “other”, “familiar” vs. “alien”, “here” vs. “there”, “authentic” and “fake”. They also look towards the future and test the potential of utopias built on brand new concepts. Many of the works recall contemporary literature by authors such as Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Aimé Césaire, and Claudia Rankine, as well as thoughts by James Baldwin, Frantz Fanon and Achille Mbembe. (dd, “Karnet” monthly)