Roszada: A Claude Cahun inspired exhibition by Joanna Krawczyk

ArtHouse Jersey is pleased to announce an upcoming exhibition by Polish photographer and filmmaker Joanna Krawczyk. This show takes place from Tuesday 18th to Sunday 23rd October 2022 at Greve de Lecq Barracks between 10am and 5pm each day.

Joanna studied the works and life of Claude Cahun while at the Academy of Art in Szczecin. She has been inspired by the ways in which Cahun’s work opens up intriguing questions around genderplay, form, social hierarchy, performativity and identity.

Joanna has travelled to Jersey to undertake a research residency in order to further develop this body of work.

Claude Cahun was a surrealist photographer, sculptor, and writer who lived in Jersey from 1937. Cahun is known for creating androgynous self-portraits which prefigured many of the concerns explored by contemporary artists today. Cahun’s work has gained much attention from artists and art historians in recent years.

ArtHouse Jersey hosts visiting artists from across the world. They invite artists to join them at their unique home at the Greve de Barracks, providing an opportunity for development and the creation of new work. Joanna reached out to ArtHouse Jersey at the start of this year and they are delighted to welcome her.

The artist

Joanna graduated with a Masters degree with distinction at the Academy of Art in Szczecin. She has also studied Engineering at the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning at the Technical University in Poznan. Between 2014 and 2016 she co-founded the brand Klekko, where she worked as a fashion designer.

Joanna uses the mediums of photography and film as a tool for examining identity. Her latest work, inspired by Claude Cahun, retrospectively performs embodiments of Cahun’s figures and her own characters. The combination of archive exploration and her own source materials creates a poetic narrative in the form of video installation. In the photographic spectacle identity becomes an accomplished task and the medium of
photography constitutes a key-tool, which enables identity exploration and redefinition.

Joanna said, “I was looking forward to visiting Jersey, the Island where Claude Cahun lived and created for many years. The residency at Arthouse Jersey is an excellent opportunity for me to continue my research and further develop video work. Also, during the stay I will present the photographic and video work titled ‘Roszada’, which is inspired by Cahun’s autoportrait.”

Parking is available in the beach car park 5 mins away.