Paweł BOWNIK (ur. 1977)

E-słodowy from the E-słodowy series

2012/2017
pigment print, Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308 g, dibond,
35 x 45 cm (40 x 50 cm),
signed, dated, titled and edition on the reverse
edition: 2/4 + 2 a.p.

With E-słodowy, Bownik further explores the topic of computer gamers, which he had addressed in his previous series Gamers and Training Halls. His focus this time is on the individualised practice of constructing ad hoc devices that are helpful in the day-to-day playing of e-sport. The title refers to Adam Słodowy, who for many years taught Poles how to "do things on their own" in his famous TV programme. The English term "DIY" arrived in Poland later, along with the post-communist political transformation, globalisation, and the internet. On the one hand, the artist highlights the nonsensity of a situation where virtual entertainment requires the person who indulges in it to satisfy the needs of the body (notably its comfort), and on the other, he appreciates the personalised design of the objects. Bownik undertakes to reconstruct the devices himself and goes on to photograph them.
Exhibitions: E-slodowy, Starter Gallery, Warsaw (2012); A Few Practical Ways to Prolong One’s Life, Zachęta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw (2013); Things in Themselves, Düsseldorf Photo Weekend, Gallery of the Polish Institute in Düsseldorf (2016).