A waterfall is a kind of a spectacular show or a performance where the role is played by the nature itself. As an every show it attracts spectators, sometimes even hundreds of people who are willing to make pilgrimages from the most distant places in order to be hypnotized by this view. Monumental character and a natural show performed by a waterfall was already appreciated by Olafur Eliasson who used this phenomenon in his large-scale performance and created artificial waterfalls on the Hudson River in New York.

An exhibition entitled  ”WATERFALLS” is surely not meant to be an interpretation of Eliasson’s work.  When using the notion of a waterfall we do not intend to define its physical aspects but we wish to refer to the ideas and emotions it can create and evoke in a human being.                                                                                                                

First and foremost, a waterfall is very ambiguous as a symbol. It is the end of some stage, literally a fall of water, however, a fall which brings appeasement and a more peaceful water current. Its violence causes fear but its aesthetic aspect and the beauty of its form is undeniably luring. In this way it can be perceived dually almost at the same time.              

       
A waterfall has another double feature – it is constantly changing. In its very clear and constant movement it is, however, a still phenomenon. There is always some solid, rock ridge thank to which a waterfall is created, therefore, it possesses its forming die which creates a waterfall over and over again in every second of its existence. In this way it is not a fleeting phenomenon such as a storm, a hurricane or a tornado. These forces of nature bound with water also arise a great deal of fascination as well as fear but they do not possess the element of infinity like a waterfall. A waterfall can hide a secret behind its back as it often covers an entrance to a cave. It takes a lot of courage to go through this living and unharnessed gate in order to enter a static and seemingly safe world or simply hide behind this wall of water.
All these symbolic and yet realistic features of a waterfall will allow the artists participating in this exhibition to create ambiguous interpretations. The participants will be:
 
Jan Berdyszak , Krzysztof Balcerowiak,  Sławomir Brzoska, Acci Baba, Bartłomiej Buśko, Rafał Górczyński, Jarosław Klupś, Karolina Komasa, Małgorzata Kopczyńska, Agata Michowska, Małgorzata Szymankiewicz, Krzysztof  Sołowiej, Zbyszek Taszycki, Joop Witteveen .

The artists invited to take part in the ”Waterfalls” project follow their own very individual creative paths. They work in different media and techniques; they are interested in various themes and designs but what unites them is the need of looking for what is fleeting, ambiguous, hidden and not necessarily connected with “here and now”. They are fascinated with a thin border line between destruction and permanence.
Observing closely our current times – the times of ”fluctuating reality” we somehow feel that both falling and lasting constantly intertwine just like the water in the waterfall. “In order to transfigure from the past, the future does not necessarily have to sleep over in the present” ( by Zygmunt Bauman, “Between the moment and the beauty – about the art in the speeding world”,  Oficyna Publishing House, 2010 )
 
Małgorzata Kopczyńska