The underground. Subterra incognita

Since the industrial revolution, the modern world has been closely dependent on what lies underground. We have been exploiting not just or the surface of the Earth but also what is hidden deep underneath for the last few thousands of years, and especially intensively since the late 18th century. The underground, mine shafts and subterranean corridors constitute the hidden foundation of our reality, as real as it is phantasmal, populated with the physical bodies of miners but also with supernatural beings, which are sometimes benign but much more frequently threatening.
The aim of this exhibition is to make the underground as familiar as it is overlooked: present in the cultural consciousness but simultaneously pushed out of it. We hope that bringing into one place different aspects of the underground, especially those related to coalmining, will help the viewers self-reflect on the unique experience of the region which has used the underground wealth to build its identity for decades, and today struggles with the long-term effects of the exploitation.

Artists
Rafał Bujnowski, Arkadiusz Gola, Grzegorz Hańderek, Ludwik Holesz, Iwona Jelonek, Szymon Kobylarz, Bogdan Kosak, Michał Łuczak, Justyna Mędrala, Piotr Muschalik, Dominik Ritszel, Zbigniew Rogalski, Michał Smandek, Erwin Sówka, Paweł Szeibel, Andrzej Tobis, Bogdan Topor, Ireneusz Walczak, Joanna Zdzienicka-Obałek
Curator team
Marta Tomczok, Paweł Tomczok, Paweł Szeibel, Grzegorz Hańderek
Visual identity
Anna Kopaczewska