Interview with Polish woman of the Year 2013
Interview with Agnieszka Kołek,
the Polish woman of the Year and the curator of the Passion for Freedom festival
My first question is, why do you actually want to do things, which politicians are afraid to even mention?
Politicians are afraid to speak about it, they find it uneasy to discuss difficult topics, as addressing such issues might deprive them of potential votes and alienate them in political circles. For me this is easy: I love art and artists. As Ai Weiwei put it, artists are “soul engineers” which is the reason why regimes and demagogues of great utopian ideologies are so much afraid of them. Artists themselves in turn need support because they carry a great burden of responsibility, furthermore, they might be punished for their art even with the death sentence – be it by the government or by a hand of an extremist just as in case of Theo van Gogh’s murder in Holland.
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NEW EXTENDED DEADLINE – 27 SEPTEMBER 2013
Due to many artists’ requests, Passion for Freedom decided to extend the submission deadline to Friday 27th September.
We have been delighted with the number and quality of entries so far and want to ensure that as many people as possible have the time to deliver their works from overseas and various places.
Shortlisted artists will have an opportunity to exhibit works at the UNIT24 Gallery next to the Tate Modern together with special guest artists: Mehdi-Georges Lahlou and Firoozeh Bazrafkan. The works will be judged by the international Selection Panel including Anda Rottenberg, Sarah Maple, Deeyah and Nick Cohen.
Art Competition 2013 – PASSION FOR FREEDOM
Information to Artist and Terms and Conditions 2013Passion for Freedom Festival will comprise two exhibitions taking place from 02.11-09.11.2013 at the UNIT24 Gallery, 20 Great Guildford Street, London SE1 0FD. The Festival will present selected works from artists, film makers and writers whose work speaks for freedom and artists selected from an open submission.
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In conversation with Agnieszka Kolek
Agnieszka Kolek is a Debut Alumni who has moved on in an amazing directon. Recently she was awarded Polish Woman of the Year in the UK for her great work with Passion for Freedom festival. We talked to her about this exciting fact.
Agnieszka, congratulations on becoming Polish Woman of the Year in the UK!
What will be next for you?
Thank you, it is a great honour and responsibility. I was chosen from a group of very successful and powerful Polish women here in the UK. Currently I am working on 5th edition of Passion for Freedom London Arts Festival. I am in the process of securing two established artists as Special Guests at the festival plus overlooking works on the Freedom Book. As festival works go in a cycle I use quieter time to focus on my own art practice. I have completed a number of works since January and continue to work on few more in preparation for a solo show. [..]
