from D\u0119bnik limestone, known as \u2018black marble\u2019: Sarcophagus (for Mother)<\/em>, Sarcophagus for Parents<\/em> and Hommage to Alina Szapocznikow<\/em>, a gift from the artist to the National Museum in Krak\u00f3w. The donation of the latter sculpture to our Museum will be marked in April this year with a ceremonial unveiling.<\/strong> In accordance with Barbara Falender\u2019s wishes, the stone sculptures are presented together, forming a highly personal funeral triptych \u2013 for all three reflect on transience and death. The artist wished for them to be located in Krak\u00f3w: the city where the long history of D\u0119bnica limestone as an architectural and sculptural material began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Agata Ma\u0142odobry<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Teofila (Tola) Certowicz (1862\u20131918) <\/p>\n\n\n\n Morpheus<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n 1889<\/p>\n\n\n\n bronze<\/p>\n\n\n\n A gift from the artist to the National Museum in Krak\u00f3w, 1903<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sculpture forms part of a fountain in the garden of the MNK Czapski Palace. The statue is situated in a wall niche of an aedicule topped with a triangular pediment. Morpheus is depicted as a bearded man in his prime. His head is entwined with a wreath of stylised poppy flowers and fruits, and his hands are crossed over his bare torso. A densely draped fabric adorned with poppy flowers is wrapped around Morpheus\u2019s hips, whilst an owl \u2013 a bird of the night \u2013 perches at his feet. These attributes recall the characteristics of the god of dreams: the son of Hypnos and nephew of Thanatos. The composition\u2019s subdued ornamentation is striking: the dominant vertical direction is enriched with asymmetrical accents \u2013 the fanciful drapery and oversized decorative flowers, as well as the depiction of the owl. Certowicz\u00f3wna\u2019s work exudes a reflective, poetic aura, which makes it a precursor to Symbolism in Polish sculpture. The cast was made in Paris, as evidenced by the inscription on the plinth and the signature of the French foundryman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Magdalena Abakanowicz (1930\u20132017)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Walking Figures<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2005\u20132006<\/p>\n\n\n\n cast iron<\/p>\n\n\n\n On loan from the Marta Magdalena Abakanowicz-Kosmowska and Jan Kosmowski Foundation<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three headless figures with simplified anatomy appear to consist solely of elaborate torsos and legs<\/p>\n\n\n\n with massive feet, captured in a dynamic stride. The varied texture of the sculptures\u2019 surfaces evokes biological connotations: it resembles wrinkled skin or tree bark. This latter association brings them closer to their surroundings: the mature trees of the MNK Czapski Palace garden. These are not figures, but empty shells; forms left behind by imagined figures. They symbolically remind us that each of us will leave a lasting mark behind. All the sculptures, like their counterparts in the multi-figure ensembles in Pozna\u0144, Chicago and Vancouver, have been shaped in a unique way: they differ in the arrangement of furrows and drapery on their surfaces. Combining the permanence of nature with the dynamism of the moment, they remain in harmonious relationship with one another, with the surrounding natural world and with the people visiting the MNK Czapski Garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Barbara Falender (b. 1947)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Homage to Alina Szapocznikow<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n black D\u0119bnik limestone<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gift from the artist<\/p>\n\n\n\n Barbara Falender created this work as a tribute to the great Polish sculptor Alina Szapocznikow (1926\u20131973).<\/p>\n\n\n\n She never met her in person, but she often emphasised the metaphysical bond that connected her to Szapocznikow. The sensual way of thinking about the human body manifested in Alina Szapocznikow\u2019s work is very close to Barbara Falender\u2019s heart. The monumental sculptural composition consists of three separate parts that form a reclining female figure: the face, the torso covered with a quilt, and the crossed feet. The details of the body are meticulously polished, and the noble sheen of the surface brings out the deep, dark colour of the stone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The smoothness of the sculpted body contrasts with surfaces that the artist has left unfinished, unworked or only roughly hewn. The organic, raw character of these matt sections serves as a reminder of the very process of sculpting \u2013 of the emergence of a bodily form from a block of stone. It is, after all, an expression of reverence paid by one sculptor to another. The first version of the sculpture was created in 1978 and remains in Warsaw to this day: in a public space on Ostrobramska Street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Barbara Falender (b. 1947)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sarcophagus (for my mother)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1993<\/p>\n\n\n\n black D\u0119bnik limestone, pink marble<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sarcophagus (for my mother) <\/em>consists of thirty cubes carved from D\u0119bnica limestone. Arranged closely<\/p>\n\n\n\n in the shape of a rectangular chest, they form a minimalist spatial structure \u2013 based on the rhythms of lines intersecting at right angles. Inside the sarcophagus, Barbara Falender has placed a sculptural epitaph for her mother. By separating the sculpture from viewers approaching from outside, the artist conveys the intimate nature of this work: it should not be touched; this is the privilege of the artist \u2013 the daughter. To see what is inside, one must bend down, that is, perform a gesture typical of funeral ceremonies, symbolically taking part<\/p>\n\n\n\n in the farewell to the deceased. Inside the sarcophagus, much like a reliquary, Falender has arranged fragments of a woman\u2019s body<\/p>\n\n\n\n in a loose composition: a face, a hand with an outstretched index finger, a foot, a fragment of a leg. The artist carved them from pink marble \u2013 a stone that is almost transparent in places, covered with a network of veins, and unevenly coloured like human skin beneath which blood circulates. By combining fragments of a realistically rendered body with a cube \u2013 one of the perfect Platonic solids \u2013 Barbara Falender has united in this sculpture that which is transient with that which is eternal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Barbara Falender (b. 1947)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sarcophagus for Parents<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2011<\/p>\n\n\n\n black D\u0119bnik limestone, steel<\/p>\n\n\n\n Acquired under the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage\u2019s \u2018Regional Contemporary Art Collections\u2019 programme, 2016<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sculpture is a reference to ancient sarcophagi, particularly Etruscan ones, in which married couples were depicted with great tenderness. It also alludes to the shape of a cradle, evoking peace<\/p>\n\n\n\n and security. This work was preceded by numerous drawing and sculptural studies, as the artist sought the most perfect way to capture the intended composition. The actual weight of the stone block is balanced by the lightness of the depicted scene: the titular parents are rocking in a hammock, sleeping under a single duvet. Mother and father lie symmetrically opposite each other, their feet touching the other\u2019s cheeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this way, they form a closed whole. They complement one another, each dependent on the other and vice versa; they are a unity formed by love. In this work, as in the earlier Sarcophagus<\/em>, corporeality merges with geometry. The reclining parents are suspended in a hammock stretched across a steel frame in the form of an open, linear cuboid. In the drawings preceding the creation of the sculpture, an idea is clearly visible which, in the final version, took the form of a subtle allusion to the original concept: initially, the artist envisioned the sarcophagus as a sculpture supported by four pillars. The figures of four young women sitting on the pillars are the daughters of the commemorated couple: the artist and her three sisters. The sculpture is interactive \u2013 the hammock can be gently rocked. \u201cThe movement of the stone mass is a contradiction of its natural stillness. It is a metaphor for solace and overcoming death,\u201d explained the artist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Barbara Falender<\/strong> was born in 1947 in Wroc\u0142aw. She graduated in sculpture from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, having studied under Jerzy Jarnuszkiewicz. Since her debut in the 1970s, the human body has occupied a central place in her work, both in its sensual aspect and in the context of transience and death. The artist practises sculpture in the most classical sense: she carves most of her works by hand in stone. Occasionally, she creates castings in bronze as well as synthetic materials. Despite its traditional character, Barbara Falender\u2019s art remains highly relevant. Solo exhibitions showcasing the artist\u2019s work are held regularly. Over the past year, she has taken part in major group exhibitions: The Plastic Body. Sculpture from Poland<\/em> 1960\u20131989 at the Stavanger Kunstmuseum in Norway and We Want a Whole Life! Feminisms in Polish Art<\/em> at the State Art Gallery in Sopot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Agata Ma\u0142odobry<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nSculptures along the trail:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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