Wanda Czełkowska's first solo exhibition outside Poland at Muzeum Susch explores her political sculpture

Muzeum Susch in Switzerland presents 'Art is not Rest,' the inaugural solo exhibition of Polish artist Wanda Czełkowska outside her homeland, running through 26 November. Curated by Matylda Taszycka, the show features works spanning from 1959 to 2023, including the bronze 'Autoportret' (1959) displayed in a room overlooking the Alpine landscape. Czełkowska, who died in 2021, was known for her contrarian stance and dedication to artmaking that transcended societal constructs. The exhibition includes her 1970s 'Heads' series with genderless, hole-ridden forms, and 'Stół' (1970), a large steel table with 18 plaster head casts. A significant installation, 'Absolute Elimination of Sculpture as a Notion of Shape' (1972/95/2023), occupies a windowless space with 66 concrete squares and 66 lightbulbs. Czełkowska's maquette 'Gracze' (1960–61), featured in Andrzej Wajda's film 'Man of Marble' (1977), highlights her unrealized public art commission. She joined the Polish avant-garde 'Second Kraków Group' in 1968 but left in 1982, uneasy with members' apathy during martial law. Interviewed by Richard Demarco, who showed her work at the Edinburgh Festival in 1972, she emphasized the importance of conception over favorable conditions. The exhibition's architecture and curatorial approach provide a neutral setting, reflecting Czełkowska's focus on inward exploration, as noted in her writings about the head as a central concept.