Daredevil
Daredevil (2024) video-installation at Baltic Gallery of Contemporary Art in Słupsk (CAT Ustka)
“Nadia Markiewicz’s exhibition ‘Daredevil’ is being realised as the Grand Prix of the tenth edition of the Youth Art Biennale ‘Fisheye’ as part of the Artist Residency Programme at the Baltic Gallery of Contemporary Art. Nadia Markiewicz presents a video in which she imitates an acrobat trying to keep her balance while walking on a tightrope. She balances her body, in search of its centre of gravity, seems theoretically impossible due to the asymmetry of the artist’s body. Her activity seems doomed to failure – but in the art world anything is possible and the danger is probably non-existent. Unless we consider the risk of exposing her own atypical body to the public. The video, placed in the central part of the gallery, and the presence of a red curtain framing the projection, suggest a reference to the aesthetics of the spectacle and evoke connotations of mass entertainment. The buildings of the metropolis become the backdrop, recalling the exploits of daredevils driven by fame and the release of adrenaline.In her work, the artist refers to circus performances and ‘sideshows’ that were popular in the late 19th century, creating a space for the display of bodies that deviated from the norm, outside of mainstream culture. For his latest project, he focuses on the performances of so-called ‘daredevils’, or stuntmen, who put themselves in risky situations, moving in ways that are not normal. situations and move in ways that are different from the traditional. By exploring the theme of corporeality outside the canon, she finds a place for it in contemporary art. At the same time, she reminds us of the systemic treatment of otherness in the past, seeking to show her own body on its own terms and reclaim subjectivity. By analysing her body and its deformities, the artist explores its qualities, treating her disability as an asset and a strength.”
created during the residency at the Baltic Gallery of Contemporary Art
text & curation Weronika Teplicka
DOP Bartosz Zalewski
special effects Alek Sarna
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Daredevil (sketch) (2023) risograph exhibited with Turnus Gallery during NADA Villa Warsaw (New Art Dealers Alliance) in Willa Gawrońskich in Warsaw, PL
The risograph is a sketch for a video work in which the artist explores the themes of risk and thrill-seeking entertainment in relation to her own disability. Referring to historical stunts performed by tightrope walkers between skyscrapers, she exposes her body to the stare of the viewer, unrealistically maintaining balance with asymmetrical arms.
photos by Bartosz Zalewski