Katarzyna Kozyra, Olimpia, 1996
Katarzyna Kozyra
Olimpia

After studying at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts, Katarzyna Kozyra (*1963, Poland, Italy, Germany) decided she no longer wanted to make sculptures and began working with photography, video, performances and installations instead. In 1999, she was honoured with a special award when she represented Poland at the 47th Venice Biennale. She received a grant from DAAD in 2003, which she used to study to become a makeup artist and opera singer. She received a doctorate from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw in 2011, and won the Film Award of the Polish Film Institute and the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw for Projekt X in 2014. She exhibits internationally.

artist's website: katarzynakozyra.pl

In Olimpia (Olympia), Katarzyna Kozyra, who was diagnosed with cancer in 1992, presents herself as a ‘chemotherapy Manet painting.’ After her work Piramida Zwierzat (Animal Pyramid) from 1993 caused a scandal, she started turning her private life into a public stage. The video is accompanied by a photo installation.

Courtesy Katarzyna Kozyra & Galerie Zak | Branicka

Document media
Video, colour, sound, 12:40 min

Issue date
1996

Tags
health/illness, private/public, re-enactment, vulnerability