Krzysztof Gil is an artist of Roma origin whose work explores serious historical themes related to Roma history, exclusion and oblivion. In his most recent works, which will be presented as part of the festival, the artist focuses on the concept of race, emphasising a period in history when this category had not yet been created. He refers to cultures of the Global South, mythology, art history or capitalism to weave together broad themes into individual stories or intertextual narratives. The protagonists of the images presented are usually hybrids. Krzysztof Gil combines human bodies with the heads of dogs, swans or, conversely, the bodies of cats with the face of humans. Their original function in ancient beliefs was ambivalent – on the one hand, they reflected awe-inspiring superhuman power; on the other, they evoked fear and anxiety.<\/p>\n\n
As well as referring to mythological figures, the hybrids also have a hidden meaning, for the artist they are a metaphor for the \u2018Other\u2019. Searching for information on the etymology of the word, we find that hybride<\/em> in French and German originally meant a descendant of parents with different origins. The collage of bodies, motifs taken from history and various cultures is a reflection of the artist’s main interests. It is a transhistorical story about the past, the ways in which minorities are represented and prejudice, which also attempts to explain the present in all its chaos, confusion and complexity.<\/p>\n\nAbout the artist<\/h3>\n\n