Julia Sokolnicka

Pustynia/ Wüste exhibition at Austrian Cultural Forum Warsaw as an outcome of Saharan Residency

poniedziałek, 9 maja, 2022

In March 2019 I went to a residency Cafe Tissardmine in Western Sahara in Morocco. The residency is run by an artist and cultural manager Karen Hadfield and it’s a real treasure. 

Cafe Tissardmine

My participation in the residency was supported by European Cultural Foundation Step Travel grant and you can read about it more on their website:

https://ecflabs.org/julia.sokolnicka.1547993193

It is at this residency where I met Andrea Peregrini, an Austrian sound artist based in Zwettle area in Austria, where most beautiful plateau with old huge stones is. Andrea is a sound artist connected to Vienna sound art and artistic research scene. 

During my stay in Morocco  I was primarily interested in reading and researching more about decolonial social choreographies and thinking of social behaviors outside of the cultural heritage coding. 

But once arrived it was clear to me, that much more interesting are the non human subject and the experience of being in the desert and endless wandering. The very focus on the human subjects seemed out of place even, as I was questioning what right do I have to film and engage in documentation of situations, which I am not a part of,  and how it makes these observations turn into questionable ethnology.

I began to film everything, and trying to be more attentive towards how I felt about the filming itself. I was walking and filming, sometimes having my camera put away and sometimes pointed at random things, but mostly stones. Andrea was aiming to record as well – but her tools were directed at sounds. Together with another artist who was staying at the time in Tissardmine- Carina Cheung, we made trips and explorations, mostly collecting stones in large quantities.

 I returned to Amsterdam with a handfull of video material and a bag full of stones and I dived into other projects. Only in 2021 I was approached by Stanisław Welbel who is a Warsaw based curator, who offered me a collaboration. According to the programming of the Austrian Cultural Forum, which he works for, the invitation extends to a collaborating artist who must be based in Austria. I immediately thought of Andrea and her recordings and to my great joy she accepted the invitation. 

In the early 2022 I found myself visiting her home in Zwettle and working together on a quadrophonic audiovisual installation composed from our materials. 

In April 2022 we already had an exhibition, wonderfully curated by Stanisław Welbel, who encouraged us also to show objects. 

https://austria.org.pl/wydarzenia/pustynia-wuste-julia-sokolnicka-andrea-peregrini

Description from the website of the Austrian Cultural Forum 

The exhibition is the result of cooperation between Julia Sokolnicka (PL) and Andrea Peregrini (AT), who met in 2019 during the Café Tissardmine artist residency in Morocco, near Erfoud (Western Sahara). The residence is located in traditional buildings near an Amazyg (Berber) village and is run by Australian-English cultural producer Karen Hadfield. Car rallies, film crews and ordinary tourists often take place in the area. The local community is also engaged in traditional crafts and date cultivation.

The artists use different media, Andrea deals with sound and Julia deals with film. During the residency, they not only recorded field recordings and films, but above all, they reflected on the possibilities and limitations that lay ahead of them as artists and visitors who appeared in this place for a short time. In this way, their work became a reflection on the position and role of the tourist, ways of perception and issues related to the control provided by the power to look through the camera lens or listen and record with a microphone in the context of interpersonal and interspecies relations. In the background of their joint work there are questions about the ethical side of creating art as part of artistic residency programs, especially in the postcolonial context.

Exhibition:

Desert / Wüste. Julia Sokolnicka, Andrea Peregrini

Artists/Künstlerinnen: Julia Sokolnicka (PL), Andrea Peregrini (AT)

Curator: Stanisław Welbel

Vernissage and meeting with artists 22/04/2022 (Friday) 18:00

Introduction and moderation of the meeting – Dr. Dorota Łagodzka

Dr. Dorota Łagodzka – art historian, cultural expert, assistant professor at the Faculty of Artes Liberales, University of Warsaw, co-author and coordinator of the anthropozoology course. Author of numerous publications in the field of cultural animal studies and contemporary art.

Concert accompanying the exhibition – April 25, 2022 (Mon) 7:00 p.m

Andrea Peregrini – Electronics https://soundcloud.com/unstable_range/erosion

Piotr Dąbrowski – Percussion instruments https://soundcloud.com/piotr-d-browski-2

Piotr Dąbrowski – sound practitioner, percussionist, musician following his own path, drawing learning and inspiration from everywhere. For him, musical practice is a spiritual – life practice – the Way of Sound.

In Polish:

https://austria.org.pl/wydarzenia/pustynia-wuste-julia-sokolnicka-andrea-peregrini

Wystawa jest rezultatem współpracy pomiędzy Julią Sokolnicką (PL) a Andreą Peregrini (AT), które spotkały się w 2019 roku podczas rezydencji artystycznej Café Tissardmine w Maroku, w pobliżu Erfoud (Sahara Zachodnia). Rezydencja mieści się w tradycyjnych zabudowaniach w pobliżu wioski Amazygów (Berberów), prowadzi ją australijsko-angielska producentka kulturalna Karen Hadfield. W okolicy często odbywają się samochodowe rajdy, pojawiają się ekipy filmowe i zwykli turyści. Lokalna społeczność zajmuje się również tradycyjnym rzemiosłem i uprawą daktyli.

Artystki posługują się różnymi mediami, Andrea zajmuje się dźwiękiem a Julia filmem. Podczas rezydencji nie tylko rejestrowały nagrania terenowe i filmowały, ale przede wszystkim zastanawiały się nad możliwościami i ograniczeniami, jakie przed nimi stały, jako artystkami oraz przybyszkami, pojawiającymi się przecież w tym miejscu przez krótki czas. W ten sposób ich praca stała się refleksją na temat pozycji i roli turysty, sposobów percepcji oraz kwestii związanych z kontrolą jaką daje władza spojrzenia przez obiektyw kamery albo słuchania i rejestrowania mikrofonem w kontekście relacji międzyludzkich i międzygatunkowych.  W tle ich wspólnej pracy stoją pytania dotyczące etycznej strony powstawania sztuki w ramach programów rezydencji artystycznych, szczególnie w kontekście postkolonialnym.

Wystawa:
Pustynia / Wüste. Julia Sokolnicka, Andrea Peregrini
Artystki/Künstlerinnen: Julia Sokolnicka (PL), Andrea Peregrini (AT)
Kurator: Stanisław Welbel

Wernisaż i spotkanie z artystkami 22.04.2022 (pt.) 18:00
Wprowadzenie i moderacja spotkania – dr Dorota Łagodzka

dr Dorota Łagodzka – historyczka sztuki, kulturoznawczyni, adiunkta na Wydziale Artes Liberales UW, współautorka i koordynatorka kierunku antropozoologia. Autorka licznych publikacji z zakresu kulturowych studiów nad zwierzętami i sztuki współczesnej.

Koncert towarzyszący wystawie – 25.04.2022 (pon.) 19:00
Andrea Peregrini – Elektronika https://soundcloud.com/unstable_range/erosion
Piotr Dąbrowski – Instrumenty perkusyjne https://soundcloud.com/piotr-d-browski-2
Piotr Dąbrowski – praktyk dźwiękowy, perkusjonista, muzyk podążający własnądrogą, czerpiący naukę i inspirację zewsząd. Praktyka muzyczna jest dla niego praktyką duchową – życiową – Drogą Dźwięku. 

Wystawa do 29.05.2022
Austriackie Forum Kultury
ul. Próżna 7/9

desert_tekst_kuratorski_PL-DE-EN

Tags: AndreaPeregrini, artisticresearch, austrianculturalforum, cafetisserdmine, Julia Sokolnicka, juliasokolnicka, morocco, nonhumanpresence, Pustynia, recording, research, Stanislawwelbel, Thegoodtourist, Tourism, westsahara, wind, Wuste
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LETTERS FROM PANDEMIC text and personal archive video for GOYKI 3

czwartek, 4 czerwca, 2020

I was invited by Weronika Morawiec to create a program for the residency in exquisite art space Goyki 3 Art Inkubator i n the North of Poland – where one of my favourite art scenes is located. I was always gravitating to Gdańsk, and Sopot where most interesting Polish art is coming from, so this residency was a treat. Earlier this year me and Wael el Allouche were presenting in the Goyki 3 temporary art space and now I was supposed to be there for the summer and work on our project together. Sadly the Corona Virus came to Europe and disturbed our plans. But we kept in touch and hopefully we will continue our project in the winter.

 For now , our coordinator and amazing organizer, Agnieszka Rek of Art Inkubator, invited to write a piece for the website which is both a great opportunity and a great financial help in this difficult time. It’s amazing to see art institutions really supporting their artists.

We started with publishing our letters from the period of the hardest lockdown which was completely differently executed in Poland and in the Netherlands.

I also made a video using our personal archives from that period.

Enjoy!

Tags: agnieszkarek, amsterdam, art, artinkubator, goyki3, goyki3artinkubator, juliasokolnicka, nokscollective, notes, notesfrompandemic, pandemic, sopot, tricity, weramorawiec, weronikamorawiec
Posted in film | Możliwość komentowania LETTERS FROM PANDEMIC text and personal archive video for GOYKI 3 została wyłączona

POSTCARDS FROM POLAND in Kajet Journal

czwartek, 4 czerwca, 2020

Postcards from Poland – my series from the teens of 21st century, were published in Kajet Journal. The theme for the last few months was Periphery. Kajet is one of my favorite outlets for the Eastern and Central European Culture.

JULIA SOKOLNICKA | POSTCARDS FROM POLAND

The selected photos are a part of the “Postcards from Poland” series shot between 2012 and 2013, at the time when I was almost always on the road. I was working as a costume designer, mostly with short student films. Simultaneously, I tried to self-produce and direct my two documentary films—“Side Roads”, that I have finished in 2015 and “Luth”. I was rather poor, and as a remedy for such state of things I just kept on moving. The work on “Side Roads” included hitchhiking all over Poland, and all the other labour I was involved with was fuelled by cheap transportation, bad accommodation, and lots of passion. The pictures from the series were fast snaps, often candid, usually made on a move with some luggage in one hand. The constant mobility allowed me to capture a change of scenery historically speaking, to visually document a transition toward something. The old and rotten slowly being wiped out, the cheap and poor, gaining stability and wealth. I trained in attentive gaze and tried to organise the blurb of images and creative stimulants I happened to be in. It later became my research method and led to devising my own way of working with larger archives.

Tags: juliasokolnicka, kajetdigital, kajetjournal, periphery, postcardsfropoland
Posted in photo | Możliwość komentowania POSTCARDS FROM POLAND in Kajet Journal została wyłączona

She Dies For you press photos

czwartek, 4 czerwca, 2020

I made photos for my dear friend and an amazing performer Maria Magdalena Kozłowska. She’s graduating with She Dies For You from DAS rTheatre in Amsterdam this year. The doll is work by Dephine Bereski.

Tags: amsterdam, art, das, dastheatre, delphinebereski, juliasokolnicka, mariakozlowksa, mariamagdalenakozlowska, shediesforyou, theatre
Posted in photo | Możliwość komentowania She Dies For you press photos została wyłączona

Non-violent revolutions with Wael el Allouche in Sopot

poniedziałek, 2 marca, 2020

Our partner and host was Goyki 3, an extraordinary art and culture space in Sopot. We were also supported by the city archive – museum of Sopot

INNE RYTMY: nonviolent revolutions is a series of artistic events in Sopot. In February it will be a meeting of artists Wael el Allouche and Julia Sokolnicka, a joint exhibition in the space of Sopot Centrum and a discussion at the temporary space of Goyki3 Art Inkubator.

 

Here an event description:
During their stay in Sopot – focusing on their existing projects exploring social dependencies, public space movement and non-political social movements – Julia and Wael want to create a leaven for their first joint work in the area of social art. Sopot will become their social observation laboratory, and during each day, as part of an exhibition open to the public, they will meet with residents, showcase selected video works and explore the themes of informal revolutionary movements existing since the 1950s in Sopot.
Coordinator and curator of Inne Rytmy: nonviolent revolutions – Weronika Morawiec.


INNE RYTMY: nonviolent revolutions schedule of events:

20.02.2020 Thursday: official opening of the exhibition in Sopot Centrum at 18:30 (1st floor, opposite Sopot), the projections will be available from 20-22 February.

21.02.2020 Friday: meeting and discussion at the Goyki3 Art Inkubator 18:30
Performer Yuki Nishimura, Bogna Hall doctor of political science and cultural studies and dancer and performer Anna Steller will join the panel discussion
https://www.facebook.com/events/214953766342066/



The arrival and stay of artists Wael el Allouche and Julia Sokolnicka is possible thanks to the financial support of Stimuleringsfonds NL. Yuki Nishimura is supported by EU・ジャパンフェスト日本委員会 comitee.
Partners of the event: Goyki3 Art Incubator, Sopot Centrum, Non Iron Group, noks collective & City of Sopot

Here some pictures from the meeting:

Tags: art, artisticresearch, goyki3, juliasokolnicka, muzeumsopot, research, residency, socialart, sopot, sopotcentrum, sopoteka, sopotmuzeum, stimuleringsfonds, waelallouche, weronikamorawiec, yukinishimura
Posted in blog | Możliwość komentowania Non-violent revolutions with Wael el Allouche in Sopot została wyłączona

IFFR Sessions

niedziela, 1 marca, 2020

I was selected to participate in 2020 IFFR Sessions on Collective making. Sessions is a series of discursive ‘sessions’ in which selected participants take part in workshops designed for discussion and learning.

https://iffr.com/en/iffr-sessions

Taking place daily over the first weekend of IFFR 2020 (23–27 January), and hosted by Witte de With Centre for Contemporary Art, IFFR Sessions promise to offer a platform for discussion, time and space for reflection and a laboratory for critical engagement. Each morning, IFFR will invite a professional (artist/filmmaker, curator or writer) to lead a three-hour session involving a presentation and screening, specially put together and solely for the group, followed by a discussion.

 IFFR Sessions was held around the theme Collectivity. Celebrating the spirit of collective discussion and action, the sessions explored alternatives to the cult of personality and the possibility of collaboration outside of hierarchical relations. The theme resonated with aspects of IFFR’s programme in 2020.

The sessions were be moderated by curator and writer Rachael Rakes, Programmer at Large for Film at Lincoln Center, where she co-curates the annual festival Art of the Real, and Editor at Large for Verso Books. Until recently she was Head Curator and Manager of the Curatorial Programme at De Appel, Amsterdam.

The speakers included Karrabing Collective, Rojava Film Commune, Hafiz Ranjcale of ruangrupa, Eric Baudlaire, and the Nest Collective.

You can find the full program here:

https://iffr.com/en/blog/full-programme-iffr-sessions-announced

pics by Julian Ross

My Participation in the IFFR Sessions was supported by Nederalnds Film Fonds! 

Tags: collectivity, ericbaudlaire, experimentalfilm, filmfonds, filmprogramming, IFFR, iffr2020, iffrsessions, julianross, juliasokolnicka, karrabingcollective, nestcollective, rachaelrakes
Posted in blog | Możliwość komentowania IFFR Sessions została wyłączona

Digital Nomads in Vensterbank Leiden

piątek, 20 września, 2019

I was invited to be a part of a group show focusing on video works. My work will be a part of Two Thousand Eighty Four exhibition in Vensterbank Leiden, across from Leiden Centraal train station. It’s an artist run art space located in a former Chinese restaurant.

Participating artists:

Johanna Talja
Julia Sokolnicka
Maurice de Rooij
Norbi Kovacs
Tim de Gier
Twentyfivenineteen (artist duo Michelle de Vaan & Ilke van Deventer)

It’s a real pleasure to dive again into the Digital Nomads archive and revisit the old and add the new threads from this gigantic treasury of interviews, lifestyles, philosophies and communal paths. 

This time I will show a different mix every day, so prepare for surprises.

The exhibition takes place on the weekends of September 22/22 and 28/29 2019.

Here the Facebook Event:

https://www.facebook.com/events/2377459698969376/?event_time_id=2377459705636042

The show is curated by Karl Karlas.

Here an interview with me on the Vensterbank website.

Julia Sokolnicka

Here a picture of me by Jan Tomza-Osiecki, just when I’m browsing through the Digital Nomads Terabytes in my Amsterdam studio.

Tags: art, artspace, communities, digital nomads, digitalnomads, documentary, experimentavideo, film, juliasokolnicka, karlkarlas, leiden, marissakarlas, show, vensterbank, videoart
Posted in blog | Możliwość komentowania Digital Nomads in Vensterbank Leiden została wyłączona

Bubu

poniedziałek, 3 grudnia, 2018

Bubu Went Viral on Facebook.

It’s a first video from a planned series of animals speaking up their mind in the name of human resentiments. It only theoretically doesn’t make any sense.

Tags: bubu, dog, doggo, doggy, doglife, juliasokolnicka, poland, posthumanism, thuglife
Posted in film | Możliwość komentowania Bubu została wyłączona

ON AIRS project launch

piątek, 26 maja, 2017

In a collaboration with photographer Vera Duivenvoorden and graphic designer Paul Stümpel we created an ON AIRs project, that aims to document the Art Residencies, starting with the one that we met at – WOW art residency in Amsterdam.

Here is the link to the website we created in order to later move to a printed version of the project:

http://onairs.nl/

Our goal is to spread the concept of observing the peculiarities of living /working spaces as such into different  institutions. We aim on grasping the temporality and intense creative atmosphere that is an outcome of it, framed into the specific space.

Tags: air, art, artresidency, gentryfication, housing, juliasokolnicka, onairs, paulstumpel, precariat, socialhousing, veraduvenvoorden
Posted in blog | Możliwość komentowania ON AIRS project launch została wyłączona