Agnieszka Polska – Flowers on the Sun

The first solo exhibition of Berlin-based Polish artist Agnieszka Polska in Belgium, Flowers on the Sun, features a selection of recent works, including her latest film, The Book of Flowers (2023), created with the assistance of AI-powered tools. The artist initially used stop-motion animation footage of flowers from the 1950s, which was then transformed into AI-generated imagery.

Based on speculative scenarios blended with elements of science fiction, the exhibition highlights issues related to the relationship of humans, non-humans and technology, posing urgent questions about our perception of time and history. Braudel’s Clock ongoing series reflects on the idea of unified time as a social construct, and the world as a complex set of structures evolving at various speeds. In her work Polska also reflects on the individual’s position in the contemporary world.

During her art studies, Agnieszka Polska began creating animations using traditional techniques such as glass table animation. Later, she developed an interest in digital animation and the immersive qualities of the images she creates. Various storytelling formats are crucial to her films. She explores these narratives not only in video works but also in other mediums such as feature film and theater performance. These different forms naturally extend her artistic practice.

For a while, she was interested in the speculative history of avant-garde movements, but now she tends to draw upon stories and inspirations related to planetary socio-technological systems, global changes and contemporary crises. Her influences include visual culture and science fiction works by authors such as Stanisław Lem, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Brian Catling, among others.

Imagination plays a significant role in Agnieszka Polska’s work. Her creations, which blend the realism of images with phantasmagorical visions, often result in a humorous mix of irony and melancholy. The aesthetics of documentary merge with fiction in her films. Polska creates her works with meticulous attention to detail, consciously shaping the structure of her films. She writes scripts with the cinematic gaze and viewer engagement in mind, making the audience an integral part of the experience. Alongside the sophisticated and highly refined visuals, the sound design and the hypnotic voice of the narrator play crucial roles. In The New Sun (2017), a star with the face of a child engages in an emotional monologue with the viewer.

In her recent projects, she hints at a future of filmmaking that may shift towards world-building rather than traditional storytelling.

About IN SITU

Through the IN SITU programme, M HKA invests in the contemporary art scene. Artists from around the world are invited to create new work in the Point Room, the museum’s most atypical space. Experimentation takes centre stage: here, artists can push the boundaries of their practice with the support of the museum. IN SITU highlights the pioneering spirit of both emerging and established talents.

With the support of the Polish Institute in Brussels and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.