Today opened until 16:00

Sunset at 18:01

°C

BABEL

Xawery Deskur

Opening 4 February 2023, 2.00 PM
Place Chapel
Start date 04.02.2023
Curator Leszek Golec
End date 02.04.2023

Xawery Deskur – lives and works in Warsaw. Visual artist, filmmaker and sculptor. Graduate  of Krakow’s Academy of Fine Arts (2015) and a scriptwriting course SCRIPT as well as documentary film course DOK PRO at Wajda School in Warsaw. Scholarship of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage and Sport ‘Młoda Polska /Young Poland’ (2021) and the Creative Scholarship of Krakow (2022). Participant of art and film festivals, such as Sundance TV Shorts in London, Berlin Short Film Festival, Artloop in Sopot, WRO Biennial in Wrocław, Narrations in Gdansk, Etiuda & Anima, Krakow’s Art Salon, ArtBoom in Krakow. Co-author of an artwork in public space titled Pasta, which took place on the roof of PKP Powiśle, popular place in Warsaw (2013). At present, he is studying for his doctorate at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. Caretaker of Lars, a laboratory rabbit, saved from a lab in Warsaw.

According to the biblical story, God decided to confound the language of people who, working together, were building the Tower of Babel. Is this act a testimony to despotism? The ideas of unity and collaboration, thanks to which people combine forces and together strive to achieve their ideals, is one of the topical themes in the days of climate disaster and social activism. The idea of people usurping their right to divinity is a controversial aspect, manifesting itself in the stances of leading figures from the world of politics, technology and capitalism. Due to social hierarchies, class inequality and the owned capital, in the contemporary world the right to ‘divinity’ is being usurped by, among others, the ‘technocrats’ from the Silicon Valley. Alexa is a creation of this sort; invented in the Amazon corporation which stirs up controversies due to its way of treating workers,  by many regarded as unequal, exploitative and abusive. Alexa is a device based on artificial intelligence, which is - according to the superstar of technocracy, Elon Musk -  the most dangerous product of technology that lies in wait for us, due to its potential advantage over humans – namely, the ability to learn faster and produce things faster. Are really threatened by the gloomy, technocratic vision from science-fiction films? Will a technocratic superman really come to life in the form of a robot and computer? The interactive installation, created with the use of Alexa, will allow it for a moment to attain the level of sacredness, impersonating the role of an oracle and confessor. With the light of its diode, this ‘deity’ will illuminate the outline of the future, whose shadow is even now cast on our computers, smartphones and built-in chips.

Media patronage
1/16
  • Xawery Deskur BABEL
  • JESTEŚ TU? - Art Agenda Nova w Krakowie, 2021 r., fot. Grzegorz Mart
  • Fot.4. Wernisaz BABEL. Xawery Deskur
  • Fot.1. Wernisaż BABEL. Xawery Deskur
  • Fot. 14. Wernisaż BABEL. Xawery Deskur
  • Fot. 13. Wernisaż BABEL. Xawery Deskur
  • Fot. 12. Wernisaż BABEL. Xawery Deskur
  • Fot. 11. Wernisaż BABEL. Xawery Deskur
  • Fot. 10. Wernisaż. BABEL. Xawery Deskur
  • Fot. 9. Wernisaż BABEL. Xawery Deskur
  • Fot. 8. Wernisaż BABEL. Xawery Deskur
  • Fot. 7. Wernisaż Babel. Xawery Deskur
  • Fot. 6. Wernisaż BABEL. Xawery Deskur
  • Fot. 5. Wernisaż BABEL. Xawery Deskur
  • Fot. 3. Wernisaż BABEL. Xawery Deskur
  • Fot. 2. Wernisaż BABEL. Xawery Deskur
See gallery