Zdzisław Pidek, who had passed away two years ago, was a sculptor and professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. He is an author of minor and monumental sculptures, objects and installations. His oeuvre’s important part are commemorative monuments in places involved in contemporary Polish history, like the one dedicated to memory of the victims of Katyn massacre. Pidek’s works differ from what is supposed to be a traditional commemorative monument. They avoid heavy, overpowering form in favour of an open situation, an atmosphere where the emotions of the viewer are in the centre of attention. His monuments do not overwhelm the surrounding nature. It is often the case that they include the rite of passage, a symbolic way covered by the visitor.
The arrangement of the exhibition “We remember” is based on the artist’s original idea of distribution of his works in the space of Łaźnia. The exhibition rooms will house a rendition of the monument of Bełżec according to artist’s intentions. The object will be complemented with a photographic documentation of realizations in Katyn, Mednoye and Kharkiv. The presentations of works of Zdzisław Pidek will make a proper occasion to promote his oeuvre and also to recall the newest Polish history with its hidden tragedies, and to pose questions about concepts of contemporary monumental sculpture.

Curator: Piotr Józefowicz
Assistant curator: Agnieszka Kulazińska