MAKE MY OWN RESIDENCY…
Residencies offer artists studio space and occasionally accommodations for anywhere from two weeks to one year. These resources are often free of charge. Artists must make a proposal and are selected through a jury. Today, there are over one thousand residencies offered throughout the world which provide artists with the unique opportunity to work in a foreign place with a community of peers, and practice un-interrupted.
Before established residencies, artists initiated their own travel and work dwellings. I only have to think of Gauguin who travelled to Tahiti, Van Gogh to Arles, Mary Cassatt to North Africa, Emily Carr to the forests of Northern BC; all artists I admire, who initiated their own journeys, outside of an institution, comfort and cultural community.
In the summer of 2005, I had 6,000 dollars for research in painting. I hoped to initiate a new series; if possible in residence. I researched residencies throughout Europe and in 2005 I was offered a studio in the Kunst en Haus Institute in Rotterdam, Holland. Although I was thrilled to be offered the opportunity, I was unsure it was the right location.
So, why not make my own residency? Why not go to a place where there are no established residencies, a place so foreign that few people consider going? Pragmatism; obviously. Practicality was not always my strongest suit. So, after researching the idea for a while I chose to initiate my own residency in Krakow, Poland.
Going to a foreign country without the help of an institution can constitute some very obvious challenges; such as locating equipment, resources, an established space, assistants, transportation of hardware, living accommodations, and connections to the artistic community. Many of these things I was able to locate and build on my own. The greatest trial, however, was communication. Poland is an exclusive country with few foreigners and very little English. A total of 43 Canadians were registered with the Canadian Embassy in Krakow, which has a population of 757,000 people. This is reflective of the larger foreign population. Of the thirty eight million people who live in Poland, 97.6% are of Polish decent.
WHY KRAKOW?
I have family in Krakow: This connection eased my anxiety about setting up a studio without community resources or language. At the time, my brother, his wife and two children lived in the district of Kazimierz, a unique district of Krakow, full of hidden cafes, markets, and dense intertwining cobble stone streets. The district of Kazimierz is also known as the Old Jewish Ghetto, dense with symbols of the war and an ideal place to research humanism.
Documenting Poland would be significant: Independent art practices were forbidden in the communist years. Only a few artists painted. Works were made from few supplies and hidden to avoid confiscation, worse suspicion. Surviving pieces reflect Poland’s brief exposure to abstract painting. Subdued in colour, minimalist, and abstract in nature, these paintings were seldom figurative. Consequently, very few figurative paintings depict Poland after 1900. Perhaps this was perhaps reason enough, to undertake a figurative project in this location!
It would also be an opportunity for me to deepen my research in Slavic art: For several years up until the residency, I studied the works of many Eastern artists. One of my favourites remains Alphonse Mucha, a Czech printmaker, known for his decorative theatrical posters of the Art Nouveau period and like many artists of this time, he worked in a variety of disciplines including painting. As a native of the Czech Republic, Mucha was passionate about the history of the Slavic people. Attesting to this, he devoted the remaining twenty years of his life to a series entitled the “Slavic Epic”. It was an enormous undertaking, as the project encompassed twenty paintings measuring over twelve feet, each a collage of people, complex landscape or interiors. These works depicted a significant historical event in the history of the Slavs. Perhaps in good fortune, his death eclipsed the occupation of Eastern Europe. “The Apotheosis from the History of the Slavs” depicts a unification and freedom of his people. While completed around the time of his death in 1939, less than a year before the occupation of Czechoslovakia, The Apotheosis was not an ending to the series, but rather a reprieve. If only Mucha knew that the following fifty years would provide another climax in the Slavic story!
This led me to the question: If the Slavic narrative were to be continued, could Poland provide the dominant themes of such a project? Despite being a foreigner, was this something I could undertake with sincerity? If so, could this project reflect Poland’s contemporary culture? It was certainly an ambitious idea!
MOVING TO POLAND
In September of 2005, I rid of much that I owned, packed two bags and shipped one box to Krakow. The box contained paint, books, a winter coat, and boots.
I boarded a plane with a stop over in London. When I arrived in Krakow, I stayed with my brother Mike and his wife Marketa for two weeks. This gave me time to locate an apartment. I visited the student housing office and I posted signs on the bulletin board of the American Café, a hub for foreigners and ex-patriots. A couple of days later and an Irish writer, named Siofra O’Donavan responded. Her apartment was 1200 zts plus utilities and located across the street from my brother’s place on Kordeckiego, in Kazimierz, the Old Jewish Ghetto. It contained two rooms, a kitchen and a bedroom, which I later remodelled into a studio. Siofra left indefinitely for Varanessi, India, so I made my payments to the bank and the post office each month. Apartments in Krakow are not cheap, as the average rents range from 500 – 800$ a month, plus utilities. With 5,000 dollars left, I did my best to budget.
Very few people in Krakow speak English or hear English outside of the main square. Few have encountered foreigners at all. Since communication was not possible, small commutes, getting food, obtaining basic necessities, was tremendously difficult. It was tough to locate tools, furniture and cloths since many shops contain unrelated merchandise, such as bras sold alongside bread. I managed to buy an easel, mirror, a table for a palette, and miscellaneous hardware.
The next step involved hiring models. I posted signs at the university and the American café. I specified minimal English or French, no experience necessary. Several people responded. The first two replies were Peter and Agnieska, who were political science majors at the University of Krakow; next, Alexandria who was also a student, studying linguistics; Angie was was taking miscellaneous courses; and of course, Marketa my sister-in-law. I felt incredibly fortunate to have hired such capable people. They all spoke a bit of English, some more than others. It was a reasonable wage (when comparing to Tesco!) and perhaps an opportunity to do something different.
PAINT THE SCENE
In the eight months that followed, I would frequent other districts on a daily basis. On the way home each night I would walk along Grodzka, Stradomska to Dietla, which would take me into the Old Jewish Ghetto. I would turn left on Paulinska and head toward the Wisla (river). Along Paulinska, I would follow the Ghetto wall until I got to Kordeckiego, where I would turn right and enter the second building.
My building was the number eight and it had a beautiful wooden door. Constructed in the 18th century by a Jewish family, the building was now occupied by Poles. It suffered from plumbing issues and some walls between buildings were one sided. My flat overlooked the courtyard and the windows faced apartments across the way. People would hang laundry from their balconies throughout the winter. My kitchen and bathroom taps would turn on by themselves. Frightening remnants of this building’s history were obvious, as some basement shafts were still sprayed with bullet holes; perhaps for air? I will never know.
Some nights were very foggy, while music from the cathedral or the bar would serenade the streets. One memorable evening Leonard Cohen’s “Famous Blue Raincoat” echoed from a bar in Paulinska. I stood outside in awe of Cohen’s voice, which so appropriately completed the scene. Many people would light candles and put them in the windows. These candles would appear anonymously in the park or be placed on a street wall to commemorate the dead. People kept their eyes on the ground since the cobblestones and pavement are uneven; I was not always careful and I suffered from several sprained ankles. The weather was indescribably cold.
CONNECTIONS
A synchronicity occurred between the location and the events, which became most profound. It was a lonely time, since there were few people to talk with. My resources were minimal and my neighbourhood streets were a living memory of the Ghetto during the war. Only to complete the experience with Periodic trips to Auschwitz (Oswiecim)! Although this ‘walk through the valley of darkness’ was obvious, my love for the Kazimierz district became the highlight of the journey. Several people who came to work for me became my pillars of strength. These individuals gave me pieces of the community, took me to exclusive events, places, concerts and welcomed me as one of their own. By virtue of their actions, Poland became my family.
Eight months later in May of 2006, I packed up the initial paintings and returned to Canada. Upon my return, I hired models of Slavic origin and completed the project. I began organizing a touring exhibition, which began in August of 2007. My circumstances were more challenging than anticipated, so the series was completed over four years in five different cities. That being said, without funding I was able to execute six solo exhibitions between 2007 and 2009 in Canada and United States. This was only made possible, however, by the generous help of the galleries staff and curators; who I am indebted to.
The first exhibition began at ARTsPLACE, Annapolis Royal, NS, Canada, August 26 – September 30, 2007; followed by L’oeille du Poisson, Quebec City, QC, Canada, November 2 – December 2, 2007; The Fine Arts Gallery, Southern Community College of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas, January 15 –February 15, 2008; The Hopkins Center for the Arts, Minneapolis, May 23 – June 16, 2008; The Vernon Public Art Gallery, BC, Canada, July 3 – September 4, 2008; Dolphin Gallery, Hingham Public Library, Hingham (Boston), June 1 – July 1, 2009.