Participant: Ulrich A. Mauer

Ulrich A. Mauer studies philosophy and literature in Mainz.




"Philosophy for me is to reflect my world in language. I can more or less easily say anything, when I use some of the established games of lanuage. But I have to give up myself during this operation, to become an automatically speaking subject of the discourse. I don´t want to be such a zombie. How can I represent the singualrity of situations in language? How can I carry thing from prelanguage into language, when I´m trying to avoid becoming this cold, spectating, universal scientific subject of philosophy. I find myself situated in a field of pathos, overwhelmed, opened, vulnerable, searching for words."

Participant: Mathias Pelda

For me painting is an expression. An expression of life which is putting across feelings like that of a language. A language that connects people around the world. When you are looking into a painted picture you may get lost in time or notice colours, movements, space and the never ending line of your eyes. Even if it’s difficult to see, try discovering the energy of yourself!


Mathias Pelda (born 1980) studies art at the Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität Mainz since 2005. He took part at the exhibitions „Cross The River“ (2005) and „Magie des Lichtes“ (2006), Internationales Forum, Berlin

Participant: Zuzanna Malicka

Zuzanna Malicka- studies History of Art at University of Gdańsk (MA degree in September 2007). Collaborates with Wyspa Institute of Art since 2005. She has been involved with several art projects, such as “Dockwatchers”, “Absolwent”, “Mousetrap”, “Ewa Partum: The Legality of Space”, “Tektonika Historii” and “PL ART 2007”.

Participant: Igor Duszyński

Igor Duszyński - Originates from Gdynia is studying in the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk; sculpture department. Took part in collaborative exhibitions:

SOFT LOVE?, MODELARNIA, GDAŃSK, 15 NOVEMBER 2006;

MAJÓWKA, MODELARNIA , WYSPA PROGRESS FOUNDATION, GDAŃSK, 20/21 MAY 2006;

REVIEW OF INTERMEDIA STUDIOS, ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS, GDAŃSK, 21 MARCH 2006;

ZIMNO 4 YOU TU , MODELARNIA, WYSPA PROGRESS FOUNDATION, GDAŃSK, 17 MARCH 2006;

ABSOLWENT , ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS,GDAŃSK, JUNE 2005;

HOLDER OF SCHOLARSHIP IN POLISHWIDE SECONDARY SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS REVIEW OF THESIS IN BYDGOSZCZ.

Participant: Kordian Lewandowski ( Lee Van Dovsky)

Kordian Lewandowski ( Lee Van Dovsky) is a student of intermedia, drawing and sculpture at the Academy of Art in Gdańsk. In art he is interested mostly in tautology. He is also a member and initiator of great Redneck Artist Association “Ż-art”. In July 2006 Kordian won a Purple Baboon Award for overall of his work.

About Documenta as a Fiction Workshop

Fiction touches on invented stories, fantasies and literary conventions. It sits on the side of creativity, arbitrariness and doubt. Its power belongs to the speaking subject… but also to the listening one, flickering in the instantaneous and capricious relation between the two (or more) of them. In this framework, Documenta as a Fiction is foreseen as both an event and a theoretical figure based on an actual story. Resonating the ontological dissonance between the traditional notions of document and fiction, the workshop seeks for the plots and narratives of contemporary art as well as its institutional visions, giving a space for the performative encounters of individuals.

The participants will investigate the stories and their tellers with reference to the set of narratives grown over Documenta as a discursive engine. Especially over the current Documenta that outsources a part of its intellectual power to the network of art magazines and amplifies interconnections within the institutionalised art world, opening up a broad field of criticality over the predominant language in which art is being conveyed to the public. What is story? What is narrative? What is document and what is fiction? Whose is credibility? Which languages relate to or mediate reality – those of theory or of practice? How does vision turn into visibility? How does artistic action turn into actuality?

Students of art, art history and philosophy from the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, Gdansk University, the Royal College of Art in London and Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, none of whom has yet visited this year’s Documenta in Kassel, will analyse public and personal representations of this event. They will examine the languages in which art is being communicated, observe intellectual and institutional frames and create their own narratives through drawings, confessions, interviews, video, photo and textual documentations that will be frequently posted on the web at http://documentaasafiction.blospot.com. Grounded in the performativity of the group, Documenta as a Fiction is aimed at the collaborative process without conclusion. The group will reunite in Kassel on September 18-22 to confront the real and the fictions.

Participants: Maks Bochenek, Igor Duszynski, Ola Grzonkowska, Anne Hoffmann, Hiwa K., Kordian Lewandowski, Zuzanna Malicka, Ulrich Mauer, Mathias Pelda, Roma Piotrowska, Konrad Pustola.

Workshop moderators: Aneta Szylak and Magda Pustola.

Special guest: Artur Zmijewski.

Special project “Ungeklappte Arbeiten” by Hiwa K.

Conceived by Wyspa Institute of Art as a part of the workshops organised by Ghent-based A Prior Magazine www.aprior.org participating in the Documenta 12 Magazine Platform, Documenta as a Fiction is being additionally supported by the Schwerpunkt Polen at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, Kunsthochschule Kassel and 3City.pl. Documenta as a Fiction logo was designed by LOWBUDGET www.lowbudget.pl.

When: August 2-4, 2007

Where:

Wyspa Institute of Art in Gdansk

1 Doki Street, building #145B

80-958 Gdansk, Poland

Tel./fax: +48 58 320 44 46

www.wyspa.art.pl

http://documentaasafiction.blogspot.com

Participant: Maks Bochenek

Maks Bochenek is a student of art history at the University of Gdańsk. Currently
works at the Wyspa Institute of Art in Gdańsk. As co-author he contribute
regulary to "Modelator" - blog about contemporary art in 3City.

http://www.myspace.com/modellator