What can be used in the evaluation of contemporary art and contemporary exhibitions? The answer to this seemingly difficult question is relatively simple. But I will not give it away at the very beginning. In the most familiar art criticism of the 20th century, many traces can be found. At that time, the criticism was purely formal, focusing solely on the aesthetics of a painting or other work, as well as technical skills. There was also criticism strongly involved in pushing through a specific artistic programme, which often focused on an extreme transformation of the whole art, and even of life. This type of criticism was often mixed both theoretically and in practice with open political activity. There was the so-called criticism of poets, the twilight of which was described nostalgically by Mieczysław Porębski, the author of the famous “Pożegnanie z krytyką” (Farewell to Critique), which in most circles is considered to be the Bible of art critics. Art, like every kind of culture, is extremely volatile, and therefore paradigms are used to describe it, i.e. constantly updated theories and concepts on which it is based. However, if art criticism is to aspire to be reliable, the criteria themselves should not change as drastically as art does. After the criticism of poets had allegedly become obsolete, there have been two more distinctive proposals: descriptive criticism and supportive criticism. In my opinion, there is a third way, which I will tell more about.

Kajetan Giziński, visual artist, art critic, graduate of the protection of cultural heritage with a specialization in art criticism at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń; since 2016, assistant in the Graphics Department of the Leon Wyczółkowski Regional Museum in Bydgoszcz. He publishes texts on art theory and reviews in “Arteon” in Poznań, “Menażeria” in Toruń, and in “Bydgoskie Oko.” He is passionate about workshop graphics, abstract painting, Russian culture, psychedelic and stoner rock, and ambient jazz.

admission free
01.04.2020, 6 p.m.
20 Gdańska St.