Joanna Rajkowska
Encyclopedia
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
contemporary art
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
ist who came onto the Polish art scene in the 1990s. Her most famous work is the 15-meter-tall (50-foot) artificial palm tree installed on Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
's Aleje Jerozolimskie
Aleje Jerozolimskie
Aleje Jerozolimskie is one of the principal streets of the city of Warsaw in Poland. It runs through the City Centre along the East-West axis, linking the western borough of Wola with the bridge on the Vistula River and the borough of Praga on the other side of the river.The name of the street...
, called "Greetings from Jerusalem Avenue" .
The installation was organized by the Centre for Contemporary Art, in Warsaw (13 December 2002 - 13 December 2003). Since then, the palm tree has become a permanent fixture of Warsaw, as it was not removed at the end of the official exhibition but instead came under the protection of the President of Warsaw
President of Warsaw
The Mayor of Warsaw, or more properly the President of Warsaw is the head of the capital of Poland....
.
It went neglected and leafless two years later, until the artist and friends mounted its restoration. It still stands in the center of the city. In the summer of 2007, the palm underwent a complete makeover, becoming more weatherproof and easier to maintain (unlike natural palms, its frond
Frond
The term frond refers to a large, divided leaf. In both common usage and botanical nomenclature, the leaves of ferns are referred to as fronds and some botanists restrict the term to this group...
s require periodic manual replacement).
Life
Born in Bydgoszcz, PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Joanna Rajkowska studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, Poland (1988-1993), and art history at Jagiellonian University
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
, Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, Poland (1988-1993). She also completed the Studio Semester Program at the State University of New York
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(1994-1995)http://www.rajkowska.com/en/cv.php.
Work
Rajkowska describes the sense of her activity as building relationships with other people. She often only sets up the context of a meeting, allowing it to be an open experience. She usually engages a number of people as participants, and she also uses herself in her work. For example, in Satisfaction Guaranteed, her body was being symbolically consumed by other people http://www.rajkowska.com/en/statement.php.Palm
Greetings from Jerusalem AvenueAleje Jerozolimskie
Aleje Jerozolimskie is one of the principal streets of the city of Warsaw in Poland. It runs through the City Centre along the East-West axis, linking the western borough of Wola with the bridge on the Vistula River and the borough of Praga on the other side of the river.The name of the street...
- the 15-meter (50-foot) tall artificial palm tree installed in the centre of Warsaw - an installation created by Rajkowska after her trip with Artur Żmijewski
Artur Zmijewski
Artur Żmijewski may refer to:* Artur Żmijewski , Polish actor* Artur Żmijewski , Polish movie maker, visual artist, photographer...
to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in the spring of 2001. It is an attempt to infuse with Israel's scenery Warsaw's Aleje Jerozolimskie
Aleje Jerozolimskie
Aleje Jerozolimskie is one of the principal streets of the city of Warsaw in Poland. It runs through the City Centre along the East-West axis, linking the western borough of Wola with the bridge on the Vistula River and the borough of Praga on the other side of the river.The name of the street...
- a street whose name and history, in return, sends the observer back to Israel. In another way, the palm tree refers to a popular idiomatic expression in the Polish language ( - literally: "the palm tree sprouts/bounces back") that indicates something unthinkable, outside common understanding, escaping the usual way of reasoning, simply - something idiotic. On the other hand, through the very presence of the palm tree in the middle of Warsaw's centre, it may signify that the commonly accepted way of reasoning does not fit the real world http://www.palma.art.pl/poco_en.html.
Exhibitions
- 2007 Oxygenator , (public project), Warsaw, Poland
- 2005 Twenty-Two Tasks, Program Gallery, Warsaw, Poland
- 2004 Only Love, (public project), Warsaw, Poland
- 2003 Formal Promise. Artist For Rent, Mullerdechiara Gallery, BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... - 2002 Greetings from Jerusalem Avenue, (public project), Warsaw, Poland
- 2002 My Great-Grandmother Rosa Stern, (Photofestival), Skulpturen Hus, StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... - 2001 Stockholm International Art Fair, StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... - 2000 The Diary of Dreams, XX1 Gallery, Warsaw, Poland
- 2000 Satisfaction Guaranteed, Centre for Contemporary Art, Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw, Poland
- 2000 Satisfaction Guaranteed, AMS - Outdoor Gallery, 400 billboards all over Poland
- 1999 On Saturday I Eat Sweets and I Masturbate, Open Gallery, Kraków, Poland
- 1999 Things I Do In the Evenings, Manhattan Gallery, Łódź, Poland
- 1998 Menu of Desires, Bunkier Sztuki Gallery, Kraków, Poland
- 1998 The Love of a Man Named Dog, Contemporary Art Gallery Zachęta, Warsaw, Poland
- 1997 Lobster Lovers, Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center, Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, USA - 1996 Trio for Skin, Voice and the Madman, Bucklein Theatre, Kraków, Poland
- 1996 Water-Tower. Headache, Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw, Poland
- 1995 No Sign of Dying Soon. The Past - the Physical Presence, State University of NY, NYC, USA
- 1995 Irritation, Zderzak Gallery, Kraków, Poland
- 1994 Fluids, Zderzak Gallery, Kraków, Poland
Awards
- 2001 The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage Scholarship, Poland
- 1998 The Civitella Ranieri Fellowship
- 1997 The Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture Fellowship
- 1996 The ArtsLink Partnership, Buffalo, USA
- President's Award of the City of Kraków, Kraków, Poland