Beyond Eden. Contemporary Art from the Collection of the Silesian Museum in Katowice

The exhibition project Beyond Eden was conceived with the intention of presenting a set of works acquired for the museum's collection in December 2018. Originally, these works formed the Silesian Collection of Contemporary Art, which in a way defined the existence of the Fundacja dla Śląska (Foundation for Silesia), established in Katowice in 2001. The foundation's many years of activity allowed it to gather works by both mature, well-known, and esteemed creators, as well as young, talented artists just starting their artistic careers. The exhibition allows visitors to see the richness and quality of one of the largest collections of contemporary art in Silesia, which can be considered representative on a national scale. Due to limited space for permanent exhibitions, most of the works are being shown for the first time.

Painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, video art, and installations demonstrate the great inventiveness and formal freedom of two generations of Polish artists. In its thematic and aesthetic layers, this art is both intellectual and sensual, diverse in content and visually. There is much dissent, opposition, overt or euphemized outcry, as well as other states and attitudes that define human beings in an era of systemic and social transformations.

In critical art, which sets the tone for the presentation of over a hundred works, neither beautiful hills, nor inspired birds, nor comforting sun have survived. On the contrary: it reveals the dark, convoluted, untamed face of reality "here and now," most often completely alien to the biblical Eden. If the "garden of heavenly delights" truly exists, even if far from here, from the perspective of an earthly citizen, it is a lost or unattainable paradise. Life beyond Eden means mortality, experiencing knowledge and ignorance, good and evil, momentary euphoria, as well as pain and suffering, and a longing for optimum, justice, and harmony.

The exhibition structure is based on eight thematic sections: STUDY OF THE SIGN, PERCEPTION OF THE HORIZON, MACHINERY OF POWER, FRAGILE STEREOTYPE, TREATISE ON EATING AND DRINKING, COLORING THE CLICHÉ, TICK-TOCK OF MEMORY, and DISEMBODIMENT.

The exhibition features works by artists such as: Judyta Bernaś, Urszula Broll, Stanisław Dróżdż, Zbylut Grzywacz, Władysław Hasior, Zbigniew Libera, Natalia LL, Grupa Luxus, Lech Majewski, Grupa Monstfur, Igor Neubauer, Józef Robakowski, Jerzy Rosołowicz, Zofia Rydet, Tomasz Struk, Andrzej Szczepaniec, Grzegorz Sztwiertnia, Jan Tarasin, Jerzy Truszkowski, Andrzej Urbanowicz, Ryszard Winiarski and many others.

Curators: Joanna Szeligowska-Farquhar, dr Michał Burdziński

January 2022 – December 2026

Silesian Museum in Katowice

ul. T. Dobrowolskiego 1

Some parts of the exhibition contain content unsuitable for minors. Visiting the exhibition requires the consent of guardians.