zeren oruc I curator

SOLO EXHIBITION - Anna Jarosz

Dear visitor & reader,

I’m happy that you came across our exhibition and are willing to read this text.

Here's something I would like you to know…

When we set out to create this exhibition, the world looked different. I cannot say it was great or maybe even functional, but it was different - in a way that I felt like we had a voice, a thing to talk about, or maybe a message to deliver…

And maybe we still have all of those, but today, the world looks very different.

Today, there is a lot more oppression, sorrow, fear, intolerance, and a lack of hope, so it feels very strange - perhaps wrong - to have the privilege of creating an exhibition, especially one that explores the afterlife and ancestral connections. At least in the way I imagined we would.

Instead of giving you a clear-cut description and guidance, I intended to create a space of care - where you might come out with any sort of emotion. Please pass through these corridors slowly, in tune with your mind and body. Take as long as you need, and feel whatever you would like to feel. I invite you to interpret and experience this exhibition in your own ways.

If you would like to have some idea about the original context of the exhibition, please read the text below.

‘Boszki: On passages, feasts, and ancestral connections’ is a project inspired by the edges of material and spiritual worlds in Slavic mythology. Boszki (read: boshky) is an interdisciplinary art exhibition & performance and experience that will honor the tradition of Dziady, a celebration that according to ancient Slavic cultures allowed living beings to reconnect with the wandering souls and spirits.

We are looking into the Dziady, an important cultural celebration in Eastern European folk traditions, as a way to understand today’s communities. The idea for the exhibition and performance comes from the need for the exploration of the ritual and its role in the forming of tradition. The concept is based on the togetherness that is often used in folk tradition as a medium for communicating with spirits. Dziady is a starting point to speak about togetherness & community, femininity & oppression, folk traditions & their relevance today, intergenerational bonds, and our relationship to death and grief.

Below you can see a compilation of our notes from meetings.

The memory of our ancestors roots us

Root – Us

To light up the fire for the souls who wander in search of a hug

To remember every stone, every raindrop, every ray of sun that lit up our faces

To nourish what has been unspoken, forgotten, painful, joyful, not–remembered

To ask questions we never asked

To honor those who no longer are

Curation & Text by Zeren Oruc