Transfer | opening of the exhibition by Paula Rudź and Piotr Nykowski

About the exhibition:

The exhibition “Transfer” is a record of a several-week journey through the Kujawsko-Pomorskie province focused on the search for women who shaped local communities with their courage and determination. Contemporary stories are intertwined with stories from the past, creating a mosaic of women’s experiences, inspirations and everyday heroism. It is a journey through herstories that often remain invisible, yet are pillars of local communities. The exhibition consists of interviews with residents and citizens of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian region, photographs of exceptional women, and memories of those who made their mark on the community with their courage and commitment.

Context:

Anthropologist Sally Slocum, in her famous 1975 essay “The Woman Gatherer,” questions the primacy of the “male lead” and reproaches researchers for the mistake of taking a picture that includes only half of humanity as a vision of the entire world. In this context, the conclusion that the primary human adaptive impulse was men’s drive to hunt and kill overestimates the importance of aggression, which is, after all, only one aspect of life. It also overlooks women’s laudable and heroic behavior – gathering, feeding, caring for children during prolonged periods of infantile dependence – all of which required similar commitment and constituted equal contributions to human development. It also constructs a dominant narrative that from the dawn of history to the present day, it was the achievements of men that shaped everyday life and allowed for development and improvement, ignoring the fact that war and violence lead to suffering, injustice and decay.

In 2023, the Capital City Hall reported that there are more than 450 monuments in Warsaw, of which only 7 commemorate specific historical female figures. Women’s heroism is not striking and spectacular, it is not bloody and loud, but without it the world would not survive. It is the heroism of everyday life, the heroism of survival and persistence, but also the initiative involved in building communities, finding space to be heard, vigilance combined with radical empathy, or seeking alternatives to powerless continuance.

Finding women’s stories makes it possible to complete the story of our region with the missing elements. Recognizing the stature of their achievements, even if they themselves were unsure of them, allows the burden of the narrative to shift from violence and destruction to construction. Women of courage from Kuyavia and Pomerania are heroines of everyday life, creators of reality on a micro and macro scale. And although taking a closer look at them requires focus and effort it is worth it, and even to consider if it is not our duty.

Creators:

Paula Rudź – cultural animator, activist, feminist. By education a theatrologist, by passion a cyclist. For 10 years she has been creating and co-leading social-artistic projects.

Piotr Nykowski – photographer, filmmaker, content creator. Passionate about stage lighting director and cyclist. For years he has been documenting creative and social processes, theatrical performances, festivals and everyday life.

The event takes place as part of the Festival of Forgotten Cultures: Female Builders. Herstories of Courageous Womenco-financed by funds from the Local Government of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship.

The event is part of the celebration of the Year of Brave Women.