What does gruba really mean? Why are gumiklyjzy so tasty? What’s a klopsztanga for? All these questions and more will be answered during the fifth stage of the Trip Round Kato project. This truly ‘Silesian’ exhibition combined with a show of the My Kato winners will be opening on 26 June at the 138-m Gallery in Katowice!
“in Silesian, about Silesia,, is the last in our Trip Round Kato series of exhibitions. We’ve managed to fit over 100 metres of art on the fencing around the Supersam construction site which will make a story inspired by Silesia, Katowice and the people who live in the region. Every chapter in the story, and every exhibition helps us find out more and more about this amazing place where the past meets the present to create a truly fascinating tomorrow,” says Anna Klimczak, Executive Director of Griffin Art Space, organiser of the project.
This time, the outdoor 138-m Gallery on Piotra Skargi 6 will be showcasing an unconventional words-and-picture dictionary of Silesia. “We wanted to create something that’s more than just a traditional Polish – Silesian phrasebook, which we already have,” says Joanna Furgalińska, co-author of the exhibition and a graduate of the Katowice Academy of Fine Arts, whose works often feature local inspiration. She chose ten words which, in her opinion, best reflect Silesia and the Silesian dialect, including hajmat, familok, gruba and Hanys. “These words reflect the
region’s character; they speak of its history, culture and its people without resorting to stereotypes, academic essays or puff pieces,” she explains. At the exhibition, the Silesian key words are accompanied by illustrations drawn by Ewa Kucharska, author of Silesian Myths,
which contains new graphical interpretations of the heroes of local legend. “Come and see the exhibition, read the dictionary and make up your own list of terms that you think best reflect Silesia,” adds the author.
The My Kato competition
The Silesian story at the 138-m Gallery is complemented by a show of the winning works from the My Kato photography competition. The works are subjective impressions which, in the jury’s opinion, best reflect the spirit of contemporary Katowice. The photographs depict a wide range of architecture, people and local places, inviting viewers to visit Katowice and look at it from a fresh perspective.
Butterflies workshops
Our fifth Trip Round Kato will also feature some workshops for families, Szmaterloki, i.e. Butterflies. On Sunday 28 June from 11 am – 1.30 pm, during the regular Przystanek Śniadanie (Outdoor Breakfast) event, parents and kids will be making some colourful butterflies together.
“We want to draw attention to space for rest and relaxation in Upper Silesian culture. To the close contact Silesians have with nature. Maybe all that hard work down the mine gave birth to a huge need for beauty and nature? We could see this in, for example, the famous gardens by the
mines or the miners’ houses or at the Park Śląski, a popular place to spend free time. We’ll be going down that route, using ornaments which were typical in old Silesian design to make contemporary, modern decorations,” says Ewa Kokot, workshop leader.
Admission free, event at: Park Powstańców Śląskich
The Trip Round Kato at the OFF Festival
There’s a little while to go yet but the invitation’s out to the OFF Festival, where there’ll be the official premiere of the Trip Round Kato guidebook, the crowning glory to the whole project. Details of the event will be coming soon, in mid-July.
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