Janek Simon: Polish Year in Madagascar

In April 2006, Janek Simon organised an exhibition of contemporary Polish art in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. It was exceptional for many reasons. Exceptional because it was the first presentation of Polish culture in the country. Exceptional because it included no work by a Polish artist: Simon presented works by Vlad Nancă from Romania, Ivan Moudov and Krassimir Terziev from Bulgaria, Erik Binder from Slovakia and the Czech group Guma Guar.

Although no works by Polish artists were shown in Antananarivo, Janek Simon’s considered selection created an exhibition that addressed Poland’s situation and its problems: the rise of nationalism after the 1989 transition, Church interference in politics, the degradation of public space, mass and mindless consumption, and the issue of the war in Iraq. By treating contemporary Polish cultural policy with irony, the artist demonstrated that art made outside Poland can speak to Polish reality.