MAMbo, the prestigious Museum of Modern Art in Bologna, has invited Polish artist Robert Kuśmirowski to collaborate. The result was "P E R S O [A] N O M A L I A" – an exhibition which tackles the themes of loss, passing and feelings accompanying tragedies and expresses them in the language of contemporary art. The exhibition at Sala delle Ciminiere is open until 29 September 2024.
"P E R S O [A] N O M A L I A" and the Ustica air disaster
The exhibition’s title, "P E R S O [A] N O M A L I A", addresses the topic of loss and confusion. These feelings became the starting point for artistic interpretations. The exhibition alludes to the largest air disaster in Italian history, which occurred on 27 June 1980. 81 people were on board the plane which fell into the Tyrrhenian Sea near the island of Ustica. Everyone on board has died.
The year 2024 marked the 44th anniversary of this tragedy. Since the causes of the disaster have never been explained, it has continued to stir emotions among the media and the public. Robert Kuśmirowski’s technique, skills and artistic sensibility have been used to describe a subject that is still important to Italians through the artist’s eyes. The exhibition has become a bridge between historical memory and contemporary art.
Robert Kuśmirowski – a Polish artist in Bologna
Robert Kuśmirowski was invited by Lorenzo Balbi, Director of the MAMbo Museum of Contemporary Art in Bologna who is fascinated by the work of the Polish artist, to collaborate with the museum. The artist’s work distinguishes itself through exploring the unspoken potential of objects that form the part of our lives. By creating immersive environments, Kuśmirowski explores the complexity of the processes of remembering and forgetting. Through large-scale installations that combine visual, sonic and sensory elements and immerse viewers in multi-layered narratives, he challenges space-time conventions.
The "P E R S O [A] N O M A L I A" installation has been built from elements and equipment drawn from the museum’s resources and partly from the artist’s own materials. At the exhibition, everyday objects are transformed into symbols that are full of meaning, while the museum spaces are filled with enigmatic and unsettling air. This measure enables ordinary things to express echoes of something that has never been fully explained or expressed in the course of history. The observer is thrown into a space between the past and the present, where collective memory merges with individual imagination. Through this exhibition, Robert Kuśmirowski invites the public to reflect on the complex dynamics between history, power and truth.
A Polish exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in Bologna.
The exhibition of Robert Kuśmirowski’s installation at MAMbo is the first presentation of the Polish artist’s work in Bologna. Its curators are Lorenzo Balbi and Marinella Paderni, with the help of Sabrina Samorì. The exhibition is presented at Sala delle Ciminiere from 21 June to 29 September 2024. It is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 14:00 and 19:00; on Thursdays between 14:00 and 20:00; on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays between 10:00 and 19:00.
The Polish artist’s solo exhibition has been made possible owing to the support of the Polish Institute in Rome, the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and the Foksal Gallery Foundation. The exhibition’s technical partner is Freak Andò Antiquariato Modernariato Design. The exhibition is part of Bologna Estate 2024, a programme of summer activities promoted and coordinated by the Municipality and the Metropolitan City of Bologna – Bologna-Modena Tourist Territory.