Invitation

"White Mazur" is the last ball of the evening, in which the ladies ask the gents. As an artist invited to take part in the collective exhibition "White Mazur" (it was a women's exhibition), I decided to pass the invitation to a man, Grzegorz Sztwiertnia. Grzegorz in turn presented me with an invitation - literally to dance - for a model from the Fine Arts Academy in Cracow, who made a sort of choreography of poses, which he invented himself.

Curiosity led me to discover how a man's voice would sound at a women's exhibition. Will it be possible to redefine the character of the show with the presence of a "foreign element" Finally I wanted to literally - take on the role and go with the curator's hint - invite a man to dance.

phot. Grzegorz Sztwiertnia

"Only one of the exhibition's participants answered the challenge in the title and "Asked to Dance" a man - it was Joanna Rajkowska, who asked Grzegorz Sztwiertnia to dance a Mazurek. He in turn asked a dance, who at the exhibition's opening performed an etiude, based, I believe, on stretching exercises. The fit, masculine body drew the audience's attention. At a women's exhibition was then a man, who became obvious under the scrutiny of people's stares. He appeared in the traditional role of a woman - the object, not the subject of a painting, somene who is controlled by being stared at. Seemingly defenseless, but also the mastery of bodily control and the ability to direct attention changed this subjectivity into control over the viewer. Was this not however a slave's trick?
Sztwiertnia's work opened the exhibition and introduced the subject, around which most works were to circle."

Excerpt from the article
'Domestic And Court Dances' by Magda Ujma...