Asylum | Exhibition at the Silesian Museum in Katowice

The Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute and The Silesian Museum invite you to a presentation of the Asylum installation on 18 May from 6 p.m. until 1 a.m. at the Silesian Museum in Katowice as part of Museum Night. Admission is free.

After the outbreak of the full-scale aggression against Ukraine, new awareness of threats and lack of control became dominant aspects also in Poles’ lives. Daily reports of the war created strong anxiety and disrupted daily functioning.

The Asylum project is an attempt to create a safe space: the roof functions as a shelter which spreads over pedestrians, it provides shade, protects against rain, and interacts with external weather conditions. It can change with the wind, and gain transparency by catching the sun’s rays. It also forms a contrasting and unexpected shape within the existing architectural environment.

The multidimensionality of interpretation of Asylum’s forms creates a space which allows for diverse responses from the participants. Asylum can appear to be an alien, disturbing element which undermines laws of gravity and stability.

The space of Asylum is a meeting place. The full-scale invasion, in February 2022, brought about a mass influx of refugees to Poland. Poles undertook a number of actions to provide immediate assistance at the border. One of the many spontaneous activities was the preparation of meals for refugees.

Eating meals together, either in a hurry or with time to spare, is a part of the reality for people coming from Ukraine to temporary places of stay in Poland.

The presentation will take place on 18 May from 6 p.m. until 1 a.m. at the Fajrant Square at the Silesian Museum in Katowice. Between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., a meeting with the artist and
an interactive activity will be held. Hot beverages will also be served at this time.

There will be three additional events held in the Łaźnia hall as part of the exhibition:

6 p.m. to 7 p.m. – A meeting about the installation attended by the artist and representatives of the Theatre Institute (the meeting will be interpreted into Polish Sign Language;
7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. – Art workshop for children with Ksenia Makała and Anna Wańtuch;
7:30 p.m. to 12 a.m. – Interactive zone.

You can read more about other events held at the Silesian Museum on Museum Night here .

Author of the Exhibition:Ksenia Makała

Exhibition Supervisor: Marek Chowaniec

Curatorial Team: Marek Chowaniec, Jarosław Cymerman, Krystyna Mogilnicka, Anna Rudek-Śmiechowska

Producer of the object: LUXPOL

Family workshop accompanying the exhibition: Ksenia Makała, Anna Wańtuch

Producer: Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute

Project Production: Karolina Dziełak-Żakowska, Krystyna Mogilnicka

The work “Asylum” was awarded with Responsivness to Urgences award of International Jury for the 15th edition of Prague Quadrennial in the category of Student Exhibition.

More about exhibition on our website here.