Artur Zmijewski Videos: Temperance and Work

Later on, Żmijewski built on these experiences when he started doing photography, objects using photography, and films conceptualizing the human body as something malleable, purely physical. For his diploma thesis 40 szuflad / 40 Drawers (1995) (illustrations) he created an object reminiscent of a library catalogue cabinet. In every drawer the artist placed photos of naked people contorting each other s bodies. Opening the drawer required some effort and positioned the spectator in the role of a voyeur. The same issue was tackled again in Powściągliwość i praca / Temperance and Work (1995). Here, it was Żmijewski himself and Katarzyna Kozyra who were contorting their bodies, forming a peculiar catalogue of various deformations. It s a sort of sexual act, as well, as these two people, petting one another in new ways, are looking for new forms of pleasure. Of course, this eroticism is very misplaced... - said the artist.