X

W ramach wystawy „Crafting Reality: W poszukiwaniu alternatywnych siedlisk”, prezentowanej w Walencji podczas València Design Fest i Tiempo+Materia, kuratorka wystawy dr Alicja Głuszek przygotowała tekst poświęcony praktyce Huba Studio.

Tekst powstał jako część materiałów towarzyszących wystawie i został przygotowany do katalogu „Crafting Reality: W poszukiwaniu alternatywnych siedlisk”. Jest próbą przyjrzenia się naszej pracy z perspektywy kuratorskiej — relacji z materiałem, znaczeniu lokalnych surowców, pracy z ogniem oraz odniesieniom do tradycyjnych technik ceramicznych.

Alicja Głuszek jest producentką i kuratorką wydarzeń kulturalnych i wystaw. Wcześniej związana była między innymi z Muzeum Narodowym w Krakowie oraz festiwalami Photomonth i Unsound, gdzie koordynowała wystawy sztuki współczesnej. Jest doktorantką na Wydziale Sztuki Universidad Complutense de Madrid, kuratorką programową krakowskich targów sztuki Nówka Sztuka, a także absolwentką stosunków międzynarodowych Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego oraz sztuki współczesnej na Uniwersytecie Komisji Edukacji Narodowej. Jest stypendystką Fundacji Kościuszkowskiej i Tokyo Foundation, latynoamerykanistką, wykładowczynią i badaczką.

Poniżej publikujemy pełny tekst Alicji Głuszek dotyczący naszej praktyki:

Jakub Ciemachowski and Piotr Kołakowski´s practice is rooted in resistance. Their discontentedness with industrial mass production and consumerism led them to study ceramics and work with clay. Through Huba Studio, they stress the importance of trusting the logic of natural processes. As Jakub and Piotr highlight “if you want to force clay to do what it doesn't want, it will not let you. It is better, then, to interact with the material; to work with it, not against it. Together with fire, air and water, you learn to create objects that are simple, proportionate, and evoke the colors of the surrounding landscape.“ This outlook may seem utopian, or at least romanticized, yet it is in reality down-to-earth and realistic through its connection to ancestral traditions and nature. Woodfiring, which Huba Studio applies to all its production, requires constant attention as wood must be manually fed into the kiln to keep the firing on schedule. Thus patience and time are essential. The work inside a wood kiln is not only subject to the heat from the fire, but also to shifting atmospheres of reduction and oxidation, smoke, ash, embers and volatile minerals from the burning wood moving through and around them. The result is perceived by the team with excitement and apprehension, as it is subject to uncertainty.

Jakub and Piotr look for their references in traditional patterns and pre-modern techniques. They source their materials locally, yet the forms they tend to express are from far-away locations. For example, their ash-glazed stoneware draws from Chinese and Korean inspirations. Black pottery, on the other hand, is a technique native to Poland as well as many other regions across the globe.In this respect, Piotr and Jakub explore it as a link between their own heritage and other cultures. Their practice relies on gentle and attentive gestures that honor organic colors, textures, and shapes. This approach creates a production which is personal and humble, and where the material and the method play a dominant role. The artists are astute students; they observe, comply with, and adapt to what the clay and wood-firing conditions allow. Mastery of the technique reflects here more trust in the process and an honoring of nature than control or forceful actions.

In this exhibition, the black ceramic series is presented, namely Kurinuki boxes and Tors, whose shapes mirror earthy and rock formations. The sculptural character of these pieces crosses geology and archaeology, making us pause and surrender to the notion that these are not separate realities. Human life is intertwined with earth, which is a source of the first symbols necessary to build culture. They fascinate with a deep, matte black finish and rough, pebbled edges. Carbon-black shapes attract us into their voids, and their textures activate the sense of touch. Multiples have been selected for this display in order to highlight the uniqueness of each piece and the inspiration from geological formations with which they are imbued. The kurinuki technique, a traditional Japanese pottery method, preserves the clay´s properties as the objects are carved from a solid block of clay by cutting and tearing away fragments.