Bodies of the Earth. Our Bodies

Opening: September 25, 2026, 6:00 PM, NOMUS – Nowe Muzeum Sztuki and Gdańska Galeria Fotografii Admission to the opening is free. The opening will be translated into PJM.

Can matter act? Is the growth of a plant, the circulation of water, the cracking of wood, or the slow decomposition of organic tissue merely processes occurring in the background of human history, or are they a form of agency that we have long failed to perceive? From September 25, at NOMUS – Nowe Muzeum Sztuki, an exhibition dedicated to historical and contemporary ways of depicting nature and the changing relationships between what is human and what is non-human can be seen. This is the first exhibition in the series "Every old art was once contemporary", which juxtaposes works from different eras to show the continuity of sensibility and the transformation of the way we look at reality.

The starting point of the exhibition are early modern engravings of plants – leaves, grasses, and flowers – interpreted not only as scientific illustrations but also as visual traces of astonishment at the very existence of life forms. They show nature as an autonomous object of knowledge, removed from utilitarian and symbolic contexts, and wonder is understood here as an intensity of vision focused on the material complexity and order of even the most inconspicuous biological forms. Contemporary works develop this attitude, shifting the emphasis from representation to relationship and coexistence. Nature is no longer merely observed, but becomes an actor in real processes such as growth, circulation, decomposition, and regeneration, in which the artwork is integrated.

Nature as a network of interdependencies

– We are interested in nature not as a static image or a background for human activities, but as matter that constantly works: grows, circulates, soaks, decomposes, and regenerates. In many of the presented works, these processes are not merely the subject of representation, but actively co-create the work. This allows for a different perspective on agency – to recognize that changes in the world are not solely the result of human decisions and actions – explains Aleksandra Grzonkowska, the curator of the exhibition. The exhibition asks what changes when nature is no longer treated as a theme, background, or resource. The presented works allow us to see it as matter possessing its own dynamism: growing, soaking, circulating, undergoing transformations, and influencing human bodies, gestures, and ways of knowing. Instead of a single narrative about nature, the exhibition proposes several parallel perspectives: scientific, aesthetic, bodily, ecological, and material.