CASTING - WARSAW
About
Casting by Katarzyna Kozyra is an art project where the artist searches for people willing to play the role of herself—not through physical resemblance, but through emotional understanding and creative engagement. Originally conceived as a preparatory phase for an autobiographical film (Kozyra looking for Kozyra), the project evolved into an independent work staged in three cities: Warsaw, Tel Aviv, and New York. Kozyra reverses the traditional roles of artist and audience: she becomes the observer while participants, performing in front of the camera, become co-authors of her story, suggesting new interpretations of her life. The project explores the nature of identity and authorship, questioning what it means to be an artist today. Casting fits into Kozyra’s broader body of work, which has always been rooted in personal and corporeal experiences, such as Olympia (where she confronts illness) and Bathhouses (where she explores sexuality and gender differences). By allowing others to embody and reinterpret her, Kozyra transforms her identity into artistic material, encouraging a collective reflection on art and selfhood. Casting. Warsaw, single channel, loop, 16:9 PAL, 1080i, stereo, duration: 1 56’40”, language: Polish, subtitles:English Production: Zachęta – National Gallery of Art, Warsaw, Polish Institute in New York, Centre for Contemporary Art, Tel-Aviv, Polish Institute in Tel-Aviv, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Warsaw, Żak Branicka Foundation, Cracow, B2 PRO, New York, Family Business Gallery, New York, Postmasters Gallery, New York, Bunker Media, Moving image Contemporary Video Art Fair.
