Paulina Włostowska

~ The Green Years ~ Polana Institute, Stanisława Noakowskiego 16/35 ~ April 12 – May 11, 2024 ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The phrase "green years" describes the period of adolescence and youth – a time that shapes our emotional memories and serves as an expression of transgression. Uncertainty always accompanies revolution. In The Years, Ernaux isn't so much considering whether she would be happier living a different life, but rather she's attempting to "save something from the time where we will never be again." Instead of using "I," she uses "we" and "oneself" because now it's "her" time to narrate. By "we," she means the "I" that dreamed of inventing a new language in a college dorm room, but also the "I" that is just discovering that it still writes within the same structure – a language that belongs to everyone. At the exhibition, Paulina Włostowska showcases her paintings and drawings. Most of them are recent, some created during the artist's pregnancy, others in the initial months of her daughter's life. During this period, painting became a soothing ritual for her, characterized by agitated lines, rhythms, repetitive gestures, and fluorescent colors. An integral part of the exhibition is a tapestry – an old piece the artist revisited while pregnant. It's noteworthy that she didn't alter it but added a new fragment. It may evoke Witkacy's art – the titular mother knits tirelessly, grappling with supporting herself and her son, and also because weaving keeps her engaged. The knitting, the sole colorful element in the black-and-white world, shifts hues in each scene. Here, the fabric also functions akin to text, emerging through continuous intertwining and immersion in a spider's web. It not only links "I" and "I" but also two models of female expression: the emancipatory creation of images and the spinning of the female other, permitting interpretation within the framework of patriarchal and indescribable violence. In this regard, drawing from Nancy Miller's seminal text, The Green Years offers another perspective on arachnology, weaving autobiography, politics, and aesthetics, and perpetuating the ongoing narrative of a collective web. After all, we continue to weave it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ text: Ania Batko ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ READ MORE : Full Text ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~