The third presentation of Krzysztof Jung’s (1951–1998) work at the gallery focuses on his performances. From the mid-1970s, Jung carried out so-called threadings at Galeria Repassage in Warsaw, during which he wove web-like networks resembling spiderwebs. He entwined them around the naked bodies of participants, creating cocoons or traps. Most of these actions were dedicated to his friends. Jung’s performances will be presented in the form of photographic documentation preserved in the artist’s archive. A significant portion of the exhibited prints was produced for an exhibition about Galeria Repassage at Warsaw’s Zachęta in 1993. The photographs will be complemented by a selection of the artist’s drawings, providing additional context for his actions.

Grzegorz Kowalski was usually the photographer documenting Jung’s performances. For the current exhibition, he has prepared a dedicated work titled Excavation.

Krzysztof Jung (1951-1998) brought vitality, eroticism, and homoeroticism to the Repassage Gallery on Krakowskie Przedmieście in Warsaw. There, after completing his studies, he developed his concept of „plastic theatre”, creating a series of performances dedicated to his friends.

In the gallery space, Jung wove intricate webs of thread resembling spiderwebs. With his threading, he connected naked bodies, constructing protective cocoons or traps. In this sensual way, he explored his fascination with corporeality, interpersonal relationships, emotions, feelings, and the mutual dependencies they create. His performances also carried hidden messages addressed to specific individuals.

In 1993, the Zachęta National Gallery of Art in Warsaw held an exhibition summarizing the activity of the Repassage Gallery. At that time, Jung was responsible for arranging the room dedicated to the period when he himself managed the gallery (Repassage 2, 1978-1979). Within a separate, threaded space, he placed photographs from his own performances. The original prints, preserved in the archive, are being shown for the first time in over thirty years.

The documentation of Jung’s performances, displayed on a table in the center of the gallery, is complemented by a selection of his drawings. These works provide additional context for his performances, depicting people, places, and recurring motifs significant to the artist.

The photographic documentation of Jung’s performances at Repassage Gallery was created by Grzegorz Kowalski, who was closely associated with the gallery. As an annex to the exhibition, Kowalski has prepared a new work dedicated to his friend, entitled Excavation. Its main element is a portrait of Jung, welcoming visitors as they enter the gallery. Kowalski juxtaposes Jung’s electrifying sexuality with a memento mori reflection on the impermanence of the human body.

As part of the exhibition, Grzegorz Kowalski, a friend of Jung and the author of the documentation of Jung’s performances, created a presentation dedicated to him. It consists of two elements: a 1981 portrait of Jung printed on mirror and a short film excerpt. Kowalski used a fragment of his own statement for the documentary Imago krzysia (2019) directed by Adam and Barbara Janisch, the son and daughter of Dorota Krawczyk-Janisch.

The filmmakers focused on Jung and the relationship between the artist and their family. Kowalski’s statement was not included in the final version of the film. In it, he recalls dreams in which Jung visited him after his death and a recurring fantasy—the need to imagine what his friend’s body might look like many years after his death.