Agnieszka Kalinowska’s Heavy Water installation consists of forty clay jugs, replicas of ancient vases from Persia, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq. On the surface of the vessels, Kalinowska has placed schematic figures of people fleeing or hiding, directly referencing the current issue of refugees and mass migration. The direct inspiration for the drawings comes from the road sign known as Immigrant Crossing, introduced after a series of over one hundred fatal accidents involving migrants that occurred on the interstate highway at the U.S.–Mexico border between 1987 and 1990.
By using the form of vessels as archaeological finds, Kalinowska links the issue of contemporary migration to the history of humanity, emphasizing that water and food vessels are key markers in the study of human displacement. The artist highlights the metaphorical significance of water – its weight, both physical and existential. This work addresses universal issues related to the struggle for survival, dignity, and the physical and social boundaries encountered by marginalized individuals.
Heavy Water
Agnieszka Kalinowska’s Heavy Water installation consists of forty clay jugs, replicas of ancient vases from Persia, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq. On the surface of the vessels, Kalinowska has placed schematic figures of people fleeing or hiding, directly referencing the current issue of refugees and mass migration. The direct inspiration for the drawings comes from the road sign known as Immigrant Crossing, introduced after a series of over one hundred fatal accidents involving migrants that occurred on the interstate highway at the U.S.–Mexico border between 1987 and 1990.
By using the form of vessels as archaeological finds, Kalinowska links the issue of contemporary migration to the history of humanity, emphasizing that water and food vessels are key markers in the study of human displacement. The artist highlights the metaphorical significance of water – its weight, both physical and existential. This work addresses universal issues related to the struggle for survival, dignity, and the physical and social boundaries encountered by marginalized individuals.
- Object type:installation, sculpture
- Year:2016
- inv. no.:MNG/NOMUS/60/D /1- 40
- Własność:Gdańsk Collection of Contemporary Art, a deposit of the Gdańsk City Municipality in the collections of NOMUS - the New Museum of Art, a Department of the National Museum in Gdańsk
Heavy Water
- Object type:installation, sculpture
- Year:2016
- inv. no.:MNG/NOMUS/60/D /1- 40
- Własność:Gdańsk Collection of Contemporary Art, a deposit of the Gdańsk City Municipality in the collections of NOMUS - the New Museum of Art, a Department of the National Museum in Gdańsk