Dywan/Carpet

Materials: collages with newspaper clippings, installed in rows. Dimensions: 5 × 60 × 156 cm (variable)
b. 1959 in Lublin, Poland; lives and works in Gdansk, Poland.
Lender: evn collection, Maria Enzersdorf, Austria

Katarzyna Jósefowicz took over three years to complete her work Dywan/Carpet. To create her carpet presented in Paper, Rock, Scissors, the Gdansk-based artist used newspapers she had read herself. For Jósefowicz, this repurposing represented “a reminiscing of reading newspapers.” (1) For Dywan/Carpet, Jósefowicz cut countless faces out of these newspapers that are then assembled into large horizontal areas.

“Only when we recognize the medium do we see in this fabric, in the delicate strips of newspaper, all the media noise and mash of information that engulfs us every day.” (2)

Katarzyna Józefowicz’s preferred materials are paper and cardboard, which are delicate and ephemeral. The artist uses these fine as well as fragile materials to create large and complex installations consisting of countless smaller units. The artist’s works are handcrafted and use simple and easily accessible materials often found in her immediate surroundings. She cuts, measures, glues, sews, and rolls. Her work often also consists of collecting, sorting, or selecting, says Jósefowicz. (3) Her works are labor-intensive and often take several years to complete. Katarzyna Józefowicz is inspired by contemporary issues. Art is a way of responding to this. She does not impose anything on anyone, but only offers commentary, says the artist. (4)

Mona Jas