Lech Majewski’s new video art project

The cinema regulars and museum goers in Poland have admired the works of the director – Lech Majewski, on more than a few occasions. They surely remember the 2011 feature film “The Mill and The Cross”, telling a story of a one day in life of Pieter Bruegel, inspired by his painting “The Procession to Calvary”, or the tableau vivant “The Descent from the Cross” based on the piece by Rogier van der Weyden. Lech Majewski’s work was also a part of one of the most acclaimed events in Polish culture of 2016 – the exhibition at the National Museum in Wrocław, presenting works of the outstanding painter Bartholomaeus Strobl. Majewski’s monumental video art based on Strobl’s “Feast of Herod with the Beheading of St John the Baptist” famously connected biblical characters from the work of art with the European historical figures of the 17^th century. The director took one step further, bringing the audience into his piece by positioning them as supermarket’s customers. He then explained – “Europe’s casually enjoying themselves, regardless of the horrific crime being committed nearby”. Today Lech Majewski is working on a new project consisting of twelve video art pieces, reinterpreting paintings of one of the greatest Polish artists at the turn of the 19^th and 20^th century – Jacek Malczewski. The premiere will take place at the National Museum in Poznań, which owns the most significant paintings by Malczewski, including the “Melancholy” and “Vicious Circle”. The video etudes will be presented in direct dialogue with the Malczewski’s compositions. The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalog containing a curatorial text and an interview with the director, richly illustrated with stills from Majewski’s etudes and comparative paintings used in the piece. The date of the much anticipated premiere has not been set yet, but it’s initially planned for the summer 2024.