Please join us for an evening with films related to the idea of Swinging Poland in the 1970's, at

The Thing @ White Slab Palace 77 Delancey Street at Allen St This Monday, May 2nd, 8 - 10 pm

Swinging Poland in the 1970's An evening with Zuzanna Janin and Jozef Robakowski, curated by Christoph Draeger

Majka from The Movie (The Madness of Majka Skowron), Zuzanna Janin (PL, 2009-2010, several episodes, Total running time: 78 min) courtesy of LOKAL_30, Warsaw

From My Window 1978-1999, Jozef Robakowski (PL, 2000, 30 min) courtesy of LOKAL_30, Warsaw. With many thanks to Ludlow 38/ Goethe Institut New York

At its basic level, the Majka From the Movie project is a series of videos whose structure resembles that of a television series. Like episodes of a single soap opera, all the works have the same trailer and an identical ending, with autonomous episodes taking place in between. From this starting point and from the idea of shooting an “art” series that resembles the format of TV productions, Janin’s project develops into a multidimensional enterprise. Combining the discourse of collective and individual memory, it is an attempt at telling a story from the point of view of an individual, a reflection on the entanglement of fiction and reality in contemporary culture. Last but not least, it provokes reflection on the indelible mark stamped by cinematography and popular culture on our image of the world and of ourselves. Stach Szablowski

From My Window was filmed over more than twenty years from Robakowski’s apartment. Looking down onto the public square below, his witty pseudo-documentary observes the daily activities with biting of his neighbors and mass gatherings such as the annual May Day marches.

Zuzanna Janin will show several Majka from the Movie episodes in The Last Analog Revolution at the Venice Biennale 2011 and in the show Particolare at Signum Foundation in Venice (opening 3rd June).

Don’t miss Jozef Robakowski’s great solo exhibition at Ludlow 38 in New York, through May 15!

Beer on tap. ====================================================================================

Still from: Majka from The Movie (The Madness of Majka Skowron), Zuzanna Janin