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Interview: Raster, accelerator of contemporary art and culture from Warsaw


Michal Kaczynsk (left) and Łukasz Gorczyca (right) at Raster’s booth at Frieze Art Fair 2011

Raster is an independent art space based in Warsaw, Poland, founded by art critics Łukasz Gorczyca and Michal Kaczynsk. Originally started as a magazine, Raster has since evolved into a gallery space and is generally seen as a provider of contemporary art culture, not only for the local Warsaw scene in Poland, but also internationally. Their project “Villa Raster” for example, provides an innovative platform for sharing cultural experiences and exchanging ideas. M-KOS interviewed Gorczyca and Kaczynsk at this year’s Frieze Art Fair.

M-KOS [MK]: How did you start Raster?

Raster [R]: The name Raster originally came from the magazine, a kind of informal magazine we used to publish when we were art history students at University of Warsaw. The idea of the magazine was to promote young generations of artists and writers. So we started doing the magazine to understand how the contemporary art scene works and how to promote new generations and new ways of understanding art in Poland. So the magazine was pretty much focusing on the questions of language, how we could develop the language of criticism to be understandable for the wider and younger audience.
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Frieze frenzy


image via TNT magazine

London’s own Frieze Week kicks off this Thursday, spiraling up in places where the city has barely recovered from economic woe. The festive extravaganza totals five contemporary art fairs (Frieze, Sunday, Sluice, Moving Image and Multiplied) setting up camp simultaneously in different borrows, bubbling up an art furor on par with Armory week in New York. (There are also other alternative fairs such as PAD and Moniker). Joining the Frieze frenzy, White Cube is opening its brand new space on 12 October in Bermondsey, and by the same occasion, snatching the title of London’s largest commercial gallery space. Many art institutions are also adding their own event in the mix: Serpentine gallery will organize a two-day “Garden Marathon” event curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Tate Modern just opened Gerhard Richter’s retrospective and newly commissioned work by Tacita Dean for the Turbine Hall, and a host of other galleries are opening their new shows during the same calendar period. We should expect a great many pop-up shows, talks, and other events yet to be confirmed. In all likelihood, London’s entire art scene, big and small, is taking part and throwing in the best they’ve got. As a measuring stick, Hiscox insurers estimated that the total value of Frieze’s art on show will amount to USD$350 million. A much smaller figure compared to Art Basel’s USD$1.6 billion, Frieze is however a place where dealers, collectors, curators, artists and the curious look out for the sharpest “cutting edge” in art. M-KOS will be on location at Frieze, reporting all the details.

Frieze Art Fair
at Regent’s Park,
13 – 16 October 2011
Over 170 galleries will be exhibited at the Frieze this year. In the Frame section, 25 galleries will present solo artists. Sculpture park located in the beautiful English garden will display outdoor sculptures by 12 artists curated by David Thorpe. Frieze Projects commissioned eight artists this year including Pierre Huygue, Christian Jankowski, Laura Prouvost. Plus, films, music, talks and much more.
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