Seminar In Place

On 10th October 2013, in the studio at 36 Smolna Street, a seminar dedicated to three interwoven stories: that of Karol Tchorek (1904-85) – a sculptor chiefly involved in Warsaw socialist realism, that of Mariusz Tchorek, his son (1939-2004) – an avant-garde art theoretician and critic, a counsellor, and that of Katy Bentall – a living artist and Mariusz Tchorek’s wife, took place. The stories of the three figures connected with this place could be heard during the seminar. In reference to the specific nature of the studio in Smolna Street as a place of encounters shaped by Mariusz Tchorek and Katy Bentall, questions were raised regarding its future status, the possibilities of protecting its character as a space that is both private and public.

We publish texts and recordings of participating researchers: Agnieszka Chmielewska, Kamil Julian, Sylwia Serafinowicz, Agata Jakubowska and Warren Niesłuchowski.

 

Agnieszka Chmielewska took upon herself the task of reconstructing Karol Tchorek’s artistic biography and exploring the reasons behind the omission of artists who were associated with the official system of art in 1950-1970.

Kamil Julian discussed Mariusz Tchorek’s already canonical Theory of Place, a constituent of the ideological foundations for the Foksal Gallery. Sylwia Serafinowicz’s letter was multiplied and distributed among all people present at the meeting. Directly addressing Katy Bentall, she examined the significance of photography at the Foksal Gallery.

 

All authors share the experience of working in the archive in Smolna Street and meeting Katy Bentall, who protects the legacy of the previous inhabitants of the place and uses it as her own studio at the same time. The recordings made during the seminar include one of her reading a poetic manifesto in which she comments on the difficulty of the task of playing both these roles. This matter is also discussed by Agata Jakubowska, the first person in Poland to describe Katy Bentall’s artistic output in relationship to Pracownia.

 

Warren Niesłuchowski’s act is a linguistic constellation of various reflections on the meaning of words and, consequently, the meaning of the studio.