12 June 1987

Documenta Kassel 1987 [Gruppa]

From Gruppa's chronicle: Kuda Gierman — a giant painting, the birth of the world, and an endless feast. In 1987 Gruppa was invited to take part in the prestigious Documenta exhibition in Kassel. Behind that edition stood the idea of creating collective works by selected artistic groups. "Kuda Gierman" was a large-scale painting that all members of Gruppa painted together over the course of the event. The work, an impressive 6 x 6 metres, was created "live" and depicted a symbolic beginning of the world. It is the only work co-created by every member of the collective. Its creation was accompanied by a continuous performance. Gruppa's members set up a sizeable feasting table, to which every participant of Documenta who wanted to join at any time was welcome. Gruppa was accompanied by curator Anda Rottenberg, who recalled the joint trip to Kassel like this: "In hall K-18 there was an atmosphere of focus and disciplined work; you could hear the rhythmic knock of little hammers, the whirr of screwdrivers and electric saws, as if weapons rather than art were still being produced there. Against the wall stood a stretcher covered in white canvas, six by six metres. It was waiting for Gruppa. But no one was in a hurry. We took the only table, laid out a classic Polish spread — sausage, bread, pickles and vodka. The eating and singing began. People gave us a wide berth, a little wary, until suddenly all six of them stood in front of the canvas armed with paints and brushes (some on long extensions). Then the hall fell silent and everyone froze, waiting for the first stroke." — an excerpt from Anda Rottenberg's text "Between Texts (or My Life with Gruppa)." The story of how the concept came about was also described by Ryszard Woźniak in a report from the event published in issue 9 of "Oj dobrze już": "Seemingly late with their expressionist style, the painters from Warsaw entered into a debate with the dull, international materialism of contemporary art, with its reverence for modern technique and technology, its lack of flair, of spiritual content, and, finally, its lack of humour. In asking 'Kuda Gierman,' they were also asking themselves about direction for the artist, about the possibility and need to set one, about the meaning of freedom and autonomy in relation to oneself and to societies."