come easy
(2021)
painted Alloy 3105 – H42
380 x 270 x 90 cm
part of
Galerie Barbara Thumm
New Viewings #36
exhibition
Susan Howe and David Grubbs
Ivan Seal
Tomasz Kowalski
Barbara Kinga Majewska
Curated by Daniel Muzyczuk for „Words and Things. A Cycle“
The previous parts of this cycle presented different possible configurations of the relations of things and words. There was only a word chapter. Kowalski speculated with only things, while Seal presented the full excess of both. The time is high to present the absence of both. The majestic object that Majewska hangs on the wall is a banderole – a method of introduction of singing and specifically lyrics in old art. The angelic choirs would be nothing without the suggestion of sound. This one is erased leaving the immaterial element of narration as a weighty metal twirl. The wordless voice performs the melody of a classic ear worm – „Words Don’t Come Easy”. How can words slip away from the grip when the sensation of lack thereof is expressed with words? The paradox of the song is that it is sung in a speechless form.
Once words are gone only the effect persists. Majewska uses a questionnaire format to dwell on the nature of these expressions. It is a game of finding the lost song or at least its emotional center. How good are you in deciphering these fleeting forms of wordless communication?
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