06 April - 13 April, 2020
Curatorial Statement
As Easter is fast approaching, the first works chosen for exhibition are focused on traditions, visual culture and language from Polish, Silesian and Kashubian artists. Though Poland is known as a predominantly homogenous nation, it is filled with Indigenous ethnic groups other than Poles, such as the Kashubian and Silesian people who have their own unique languages, traditions and at certain points in history, sovereign states (Silesia).
This mosaic of folk cultures and aesthetics allows Poland to have a rich and unique collection of regional folklore and folkways, which are especially prevalent during holidays such as Christmas and Easter. They are not all hidden away in Poland however; due to various wars and other reasons, migration has played a large part in how folk traditions from Poland survive outside of national borders, and the most prevalent examples are the historic Kashubian settlements in and around Barry's Bay, Ontario (Kaszuby and Wilno to name a few).
Exhibited Works
This design is reminiscent of traditional Kashubian floral designs found in the historic Eastern Pomeranian region of Poland (Kashubia). The first Polish settlers in Ontario were mainly Kashubian, and there is even a town named after them (Kaszuby, ON, near Barry's Bay). The current residents and descendants carry-on cultural, aesthetic and sometimes linguistic traditions.
This painting features typical elements of Polish folk Easter - the faux rooster, floral decorations as well as giant 'palms' made from dried and live flowers. We bring our palms to church to be blessed for Palm Sunday, and then keep them around the house for the rest of Easter.
Similarly to Mary Atymko, Janusz Charczuk uses traditional Kashubian floral motifs to pay homage to the Kashubian culture. You may have noticed by now, that the typical colours in Kashubian floral designs are light and dark blue, yellow, green, black and red. Charczuk is a traditional icon writer; when creating icons, it is known as 'writing' an icon, not painting. Traditionally, icon making is seen as writing a prayer, and so, each brushstroke is part of a meditation.
Łojko's body of work includes a large collection of people from various nations dressed in folk clothing and performing traditional tasks. Here, we see a young woman preparing butter, just like my great-grandparents (and I'm sure many people's ancestors) used to prepare.
The English translation reads:
Heklowanie
A Silesian woman can heklować (crochet)
A Silesian woman can crochet (in Silesian: heklować) napkins and table-cloths to decorate the Silesian house interior. Koniaków lace is the most beautiful and famous. Today, even lace clothes and underwear are made.
Making such a lace requires:
-a thin thread
-a crocheting needle (sice 0.9 - 1.0 mm)
-a design, which you can create from a scratch or on the basis of the example shown above [to the left]
-fantasy and imagination
. - chain stitch
| - treble
+ - double treble
t - triple treble
^ - slip stitch
The English translation reads:
Words
When a Silesian happens to forget or not know appropriate names and definitions during a conversation, there are substitutes to use
To name things/persons: łon/łona/łono, dyngs, wichajster
To name actions: łonczyć
For example:
W ty skrzini som takie wichajstry i dyngsy, co jak je złonaczyć ze sobą to bydzie z tego szrank.
This means: If we connect the elements from this box, we will make a wardrobe.
*Polish for contrast: W tej skrzyni są takie rzeczy że jak je razem złączymy, to będzie z tego szafe.
A little more difficult example:
Ten łon złonaczył łona łoną i terozki łona je cało złonaczono.
This means: He doused this woman with water and that is why she is all wet.
Depending on context, this sentence may describe a very different story, while each łonaczenie may be replaced with any word.
Institutions Attached To The Works
Wilno Craft Gallery (Mary Artymko)
National Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw (F. Łubieński)
Holy Icon Studio (Janusz Charczuk)
Andrzej Łojko Photography (Andrzej Łojko)
Muzeum Śląskie (Silesian Museum) (Silesian Guides x2)
Associated Programming
What's an art exhibition without some fun programming?
For this show, there are three scheduled events/activities:
1. colouring page competition
2. pisanki/pysanky workshop (with infographic lecture created for the Young Polish Canadian Professionals Association)
3. an infographic on how to make floral palms for Palm Sunday and Easter celebrations in various Eastern European nations.
Colouring Page (by Mariola Proch)
Polish Easter Palms
One of my favourite parts about Polish Easter are the colourful palms. If you live in the country and are lucky enough to have wildflowers, wheat and straw at your disposal, you can make amazing dried flower palms, traditionally seen in Polish stores, as family heirlooms or during the Easter markets in various Polish cities. There are some photos I took when I was in Katowice, Poland (April 2019) at the Easter Market.
Since not everyone has access to wildflowers or dried flowers, a lot of people make crepe paper or tissue paper flowers, which work just as well! Below you will find infographics for 3 types of flowers: a regular blue flower (can be any colour), cornflower, and crocus blossoms.
Pisanki/Pysanky Workshop and Infographic
Here is a video showcasing 4 different types of pisanki with tips and tricks from me, and some cultural anecdotes!
There are 2 types of dyes that I use; industrial and natural. It may be easier to make natural dyes if you cannot order regular dyes or leave your home (I would not recommend food colouring dyes for these eggs).
Here is a great video on how to make natural at home dyes with many pantry staples:
If you are able to make an order online and receive mail (and don't mind making eggs after Easter), I would recommend buying them from Ukrainian EggCessories. They are a Canadian company and have not just dyes, but all the fancy tools for making traditional batik pisanki/pysanky:
Below you will find the full infographic made for the YPCPA. If you are interested in Polish culture, we welcome all members! (Polish and non-Polish).
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