Exhibition documentation
WIANO [Dowry], Galeria Labirynt, Lublin
Dowry. Identity in Pieces
The titular dowry refers to the old tradition of a bridal endowment passed down through generations. Magdalena Ciemierkiewicz examines this symbol in the context of contemporary realities—migration, social pressures, and patriarchal norms. For her, it is not a passively inherited legacy but something that demands reflection and reworking. The exhibition serves as a meditation on memory—both historical and personal. We are only the third generation processing the trauma of war, and yet we are already facing the specter of another. The war in Ukraine causes the echoes of the past in this region, explored in the artworks, to merge with present realities, resonating in two directions—toward what was and what is yet to come.
An artist from a small village on the Polish-Ukrainian border, Ciemierkiewicz delves into a history marked by the violence of war and the cultural experiences of the borderlands as an integral part of her identity. She transfers these motifs onto fabric—a medium deeply connected to women’s history. Through weaving, she recalls the past of the borderland, intertwining and preserving the threads of herstory that form a polyphonic narrative.
The exhibition is like a patchwork—a multicolored fabric that brings together personal memories and the history of a place whose multicultural essence was never restored. It consists of roadside shrines, abandoned churches, scraps of fabric from her grandmother, forgotten architecture, and recollections. Each piece on display is a fragment of this story, with descriptions written by the artist herself, forming a parallel narrative to the exhibition.
Exploring and remembering one’s own history is not only a way to understand the past but also a key to consciously experiencing the present. Do you know your grandmother’s story? What traces of past traumas do you carry within you?
Tekst: Monika Rejman
https://labirynt.com/2025/01/30/magdalena-ciemierkiewicz-wiano/
