Lustra i mity
Mirrors and Myths

Summary/Abstract: Mirrors have always been mysterious. Reflections in mirrors show images of objects and people, they contain both vivid and impressive illusion. Also, they show phantoms of things and reveal hidden truths. They are considered as magical instruments. Because we look to mirrors, we can discover our personality. Artists are interested in mirrors. In the past, architects used mirrors to enrich interiors in palaces. Krystyna Schwarzer-Kitwornia, a contemporary artist, is also interested in mirrors, and uses them as elements in her compositions. She showed her compositions in several places in Kraków, including the old courtyard at the Collegium Maius. The exhibition was entitled ‘Adonalia’, and it included mirror pyramids. Her ‘Endless Labyrinth’ also referred to the phenomenon of multiplied images. It wasn’t as complicated an installation as her ‘Icarus’, which contained many parts of broken mirrors. They were placed in a dark room, and reflected images of water. Water was shown as if boiling and its multiplied images looked dramatic, because the element was present everywhere. In addition to images, the artist played the tape with the voices of birds. The show referred to primeval jungle and chaos. The ‘Icarus’ was shown at the Kordegarda’ Gallery in Warsaw. In addition to that installation, the artist showed another installation entitled ‘Dedalus’. It was built several months after the ‘Icarus’ was shown, and shown at the courtyard of the Ministry of Culture. It didn’t refer to chaos, but, rather, to architectural, rational order. While ‘Icarus’ showed different aspects of destruction and death, ‘Dedalus’ showed life, its endless potential and creativity. ‘Icarus’ interpreted the reality in idealistic and romantic terms, ‘Dedalus’ interpreted the reality in the terms of survival and success. The artist used ancient myths in order to illustrate the fate of the mankind, its failures and victories, dreams and hopes. The mirrors reflected the reality, but, also, they changed it in order to reveal the hidden aspects of life.

• Details
• Contents