A solo exhibition by col­lec­tive Slavs and Tatars, Friend­ship of Nations: Polish Shi’ite Show­biz at the MHKA, Antwerp.

The instal­lation con­sists of ten fabric cloths and high­lights the revolutionary expres­siveness of han­dicrafts and folk­lore. The work reveals the con­nec­tion between Polish and Iranian heritage, more specifically that between the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and the Polish trade union movement Solidarność of the 1980s. Both events encap­sulate a major geo­political nar­rative of the recent past: 21st-century Islamic moder­nism and the 20th-century com­munist project.  Friend­ship of Nations: Polish Shi’ite Showbiz reevaluates craft objects and prac­tices as car­riers of history, political eman­cipation and ideology. Presen­tation of the entire set of ban­ners as a donation from col­lec­tor Christian Schwarm.

 

Exhibition view: Slavs and Tatars, Friendship of Nations: Polish Shi’ite Showbiz, Contemporary Art Museum M HKA, Antwerp, 2023

Image courtesy of the Contemporary Art Museum M HKA, Antwerp

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibition view: Slavs and Tatars, Friendship of Nations: Polish Shi’ite Showbiz, Contemporary Art Museum M HKA, Antwerp, 2023

Image courtesy of the Contemporary Art Museum M HKA, Antwerp

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibition view: Slavs and Tatars, Friendship of Nations: Polish Shi’ite Showbiz, Contemporary Art Museum M HKA, Antwerp, 2023

Image courtesy of the Contemporary Art Museum M HKA, Antwerp