Before Bunkier Sztuki’s concrete structure emerged near the Planty gardens, a temporary incarnation existed. This pneumatic gallery required everyone to physically contribute their breath before entering the exhibition space, standing where the fortifications once marked the boundary of the medieval city. For three months, this inflatable structure stood opposite the Czartoryski Museum. Visitors encountered deflated transparent chambers at the entrance. Only through collective effort– sometimes thirty individuals breathing simultaneously– the gallery would takes its intended form. Inside the space acoustics transformed voices into shared soundscapes. Whispers from one corner carried distinctly to another, reminiscent of the perfect acoustics in St. Mary’s Basilica but accessible to all. Young artists gathered in circular formations within the space, establishing impromptu cypher sessions where verses flowed in continuous rotation, each participant building upon rhythms established by those before them. The malleable walls seemed to pulse with each beat, becoming both instrument and amplifier. Visitors moved freely between installing works and experiencing them, with no fixed exhibitions, only ever-shifting collections. The space responded to movement– objects inflated or collapsed based on proximity, sound installations evolved with the density of visitors. The traditional hierarchies of Kraków’s artistic establishments dissolved within this temporary zone, which existed only as long as collective breath sustained it, before the permanent structure reclaimed its place among the city’s lasting architectural monuments.
Monuments of a Fictional Past (Krakow edition) is a part of Three Seas Art Festival 2025 at Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art in Kraków(PL). Supported by Grosserer L.F. Foghts Fond and the Danish Arts Council. #contemporaryart #aiart #krakow #alternativehistory #exhibition @bunkiersztuki_artgallery #threeseasfestival #monumentsofafictionalpast #localfutures #flux.1 #thisisnothistory #frihedlighedoghiphop #tankhiphop
