Agnieszka Polska's Films Explore Creative Absence and Historical Memory

Agnieszka Polska, a Polish artist, showcases five short films that delve into themes of disappearance and the mythology surrounding art. In 'Future Days' (2013), actors donned in latex masks depict avant-garde figures such as Paul Thek and Jerzy Ludwiński on Gotland, interacting with pieces like Robert Smithson's 'Partially Buried Woodshed' (1970). 'The Garden (Gardener’s Responsibility)' (2010) reinterprets artist Paweł Freisler as a narrator reflecting on his garden. 'How the Work Is Done' (2011) revisits a student protest from 1956 at Kraków's Academy of Fine Arts. 'I Am the Mouth II' (2014) features disembodied lips exploring ASMR, while 'Watery Rhymes' (2014) tackles the inexpressibility of quantum physics. These films imply that the past is malleable and that halting art creation can itself be a form of artistry. This article was originally published in March 2015.