On Friday, 23 October, the Contemporary Art Centre (CAC) opens ‘Horror Desire Fantasy’, an exhibition by Polish artist Agnieszka Polska.
The exhibition’s curator, Maria Lind, and the artist, Agnieszka Polska, share a decade-long dialogue that began in Berlin, continued at the Gwangju Biennale, and now takes on a new form in Vilnius. ‘My relationship with Maria feels like a very long conversation that is still ongoing,’ says the artist. A new chapter in this conversation unfolds with ‘Horror Desire Fantasy’, opening this month at the CAC – a place Maria has been returning to for almost three decades.
Polska’s most comprehensive exhibition in Lithuania to date brings together films, prints on paper and textiles, and kinetic sculptures created since 2014. The selected works reveal how the artist uses found imagery and computer-generated material to reflect on our place in the world and our social responsibility.
The exhibition invites visitors on a non-linear journey, from bodily sensations to events on a global, even cosmic scale. Along the way, it reveals how countless micro-events, individual responsibility and circumstances intertwine with processes that are changing the world: climate change, rising nationalism, and expanding networks of communication and surveillance.
The artist’s narratives will also extend beyond the CAC’s walls – we invite you to discover their continuations on the streets of Vilnius.
OPENING PROGRAMME
Friday, 23 October
11 am | Exhibition opens to visitors
6 pm | Exhibition opening: welcome address by Valentinas Klimašauskas, followed by a conversation between Agnieszka Polska and Maria Lind | CAC Reading Room
The exhibition will remain open until 10 pm.
Admission is free on the opening day.
Saturday, 24 October
3 pm | Guided tour of the exhibition with the artist and curator (in English)
Please purchase a ticket in advance to join the tour.
5 pm | Agnieszka Polska’s talk ‘Objects and stories in changing environments’ | CAC Reading Room
Admission is free, but places are limited, so please arrive early.
As Agnieszka Polska observes, the vast majority of our ancestors lived in relatively stable technological environments, where unexpected changes were largely brought about by the weather, animals, or war. The artworks, stories, and places of significance they accumulated became part of their extended minds. Passed down through generations, they served as lasting markers of human identity. Today, by contrast, the only constants in our surroundings seem to be rapid change, the uncertainty of our predictions, and the continual loss of elements of the extended mind.
In her lecture, Polska will discuss her recent films and explore the notes and texts that have inspired her work, reflecting on what happens to storytelling in technologised environments.
The event will be held in English and moderated by philosopher and curator Edvardas Šumila.
Photography and/or filming may take place at the event, so please be informed that you may be seen in photos and/or videos of the event. These photos and videos can be published on social networks or media.