Untitled 3 reflects on the possibility of detaching from prescribed categories and binary oppositions between theory/ practice, work/ leisure, evolution/ revolution. The performance develops around the drag persona of Karl Marx, god father and father-god of the communist revolution – at least in theory – to ask about what forms of labor are needed when working for social change today. Feminised labor of care work, traditionally omitted from history books and narratives of revolution is juxtaposed with allusions to knowledge and power. Queered archetypes of father, mother, revolutionary and worker all overlap in performers’ physical expression while the language spits crucial questions at the contemporary freelance worker. Who has time for a revolution today? And who has it for self-care? Who can change the world? And who will actually clean up the mess afterwards?
Ania Nowak, who decided to place her piece Untitled 3 in one of the cramped rooms of the Lido Hotel, succeeded best in exploiting the summer atmosphere. The sticky, very intimate atmosphere of the shabby room intensified the experience of the performance between the artist – dressed in a tight corset, with a fake beard, moustache and wig – and her half-naked companion. Nowak’s performance is based on a sequence of gestures and interactions – sometimes tender, maternal, but also passionate – here performed millimetres away from the audience’s noses, on the floor, windowsills or bedsides, where the guests also sat. Once inside, you hardly wanted to leave, it was easy to get into the mood and completely drift off.
Karolina Plinta Magazyn Szum
Untitled 3 combines various inspirations – theological, economic, poetic – to create a rich in meanings yet light-hearted and ironic commentary on contemporary reality. […] Nowak attempts to go beyond the dichotomies of capitalism, which create a closed system with seemingly no way out. Queering theology and the concept of the Holy Trinity, she attempts to present an alternative to the closed binary oppositions. In order for change to take place, not much is needed, Nowak seems to be saying, it is only necessary to rearrange a few pieces of the familiar puzzle.
Marcin Bogucki Dialog
Idea, choreography, performance Ania Nowak
Creation, performance Jayson Patterson/ Max Göran
Outside eye Agata Siniarska
Video Aleksandra Osowicz
Costume, styling Dusty Whistles, Ania Nowak
Text Ania Nowak, Jayson Patterson, Kaitlyn Boulding, Ron Padgett, Charles Bukowski, Rumi, Jenny Holzer, Mary Oliver
Production Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art
Photos Bartosz Górka, Michał Szymończyk
