Ignacy Czwartos, originally chosen to represent Poland at the 2024 Venice Biennale but later removed from the lineup due to opposition from the new government, will now unveil an independent exhibition titled “Polonia Uncensored” in Venice this month.
Scheduled to debut on April 20 at a private venue on Viale IV Novembre, adjacent to the Giardini site housing Poland’s national pavilion, the exhibition marks a significant departure from the initial plan.
The decision to host the independent show follows the rejection of Czwartos’s original presentation, which was set to feature 35 paintings. This rejection occurred in the wake of a change in leadership after the October elections ousted officials from Poland’s far-right Law and Justice party (PiS), who had previously endorsed the original pavilion. The former government’s pavilion concept faced considerable backlash for portraying Poland as historically oppressed by Germany and Russia during the 20th century. The newly appointed culture minister, Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz, intervened and halted the project in late December.
Replacing Czwartos at the national pavilion is Open Group, a Ukrainian artist collective established in 2012, comprising Yuriy Biley, Pavlo Kovach, and Anton Varga.
Czwartos, known for his self-portraits and now in his late 50s, contends that the cancellation of his show amounts to censorship. However, the upcoming exhibition, organized by the Center for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw, will still feature some of the imagery he initially proposed.
Following Czwartos’s acceptance under Poland’s previous administration, three members of the government’s selection jury overseeing the pavilion’s plans withdrew their support. They argued that Czwartos’s proposed presentation clashed with the biennale’s theme, titled “Foreigner Everywhere,” which explores concepts related to exile, international crises, and migration.
