Dorota Nieznalska. Oppression and Memory

Described as a proponent of the critical art trend, Dorota Nieznalska is (in)famous for her controversial depictions of Christian iconography and Catholic symbolism. She was taken to court in 2001 for her Passion, facing accusations of blasphemy; the furore aroused discussion on the boundaries of artistic freedom and the relationships between the arts, politics and the media. At the exhibition Oppression and Memory at MOCAK, the artist intertwines archival materials from anthropological and ethnographic studies conducted by the Nazis during the Second World War in occupied Poland with the symbolic form of iconoclast. This elevates images of the victims of the Nazi genocide – representatives of the Lemko, Ruthenian and Tatra highlander ethnic minorities – to the rank of holy paintings.