In this week’s research on artist-curators, I chose Paulina Olowska and discovered an interesting resonance with Fran Cottell’s House Projects. Both artists transform domestic spaces into curatorial sites, challenging traditional exhibition formats and redefining how space can be curated.
Cottell, Fran. n.d. “The House Projects.” Accessed January 30, 2025. http://www.francottell.com/artwork/fran-cottell-the-house-projects.
The transformation of Kadenówka, a 1930s wooden house in Rabka-Zdrój, Poland, into an artist-curated space by Olowska, disrupts conventional gallery structures. Unlike institutional exhibitions, Kadenówka embraces domesticity as a curatorial medium, hosting artist residencies, performances, and heritage projects that merge contemporary art with folklore and everyday life (Olowska 2023). This approach parallels Cottell’s House Projects, where the home itself becomes an evolving, participatory artwork rather than a fixed exhibition site (Deepwell 2018).
Olowska’s projects, such as “Mycorial Theatre”, which explores the intersection of art and mycology, and “Mora Zmora”, an exhibition engaging with Slavic folklore, demonstrate how personal space can be activated as an immersive curatorial tool (Culture.pl 2021). Like Cottell, she dissolves the boundaries between private and public, encouraging audiences to navigate, interact, and experience space as an artwork rather than merely viewing objects within it.
Mycorial Theatre, installation view at Kadenówka. Courtesy of Paulina Olowska. Accessed January 30, 2025. https://en.kadenowka.com/mykologiczny-teatr-i?pgid=kfl24z05-ec2d207e-855b-47b8-a5b7-fc99028b4eea.
These artist-led initiatives raise critical questions: Can curating extend beyond the gallery into lived environments? How does domestic space shape curatorial narratives? By reconsidering the home as a site of exhibition-making, Olowska and Cottell redefine curatorial practice, positioning it as an experiential and site-responsive process rather than a neutral framework for displaying art.
References
1、Culture.pl. 2021. “Paulina Olowska’s Mycorial Theatre.” Accessed January 30, 2025. https://culture.pl/en/gallery/paulina-olowskas-mycorial-theatre-image-gallery.
2、Deepwell, Katy. 2018. Curating the Contemporary: Artist as Curator. London: CtC Press.
3、Olowska, Paulina. 2023. “Kadenówka: Artist House and Curatorial Space.” Financial Times, September 15, 2023. Accessed January 30, 2025. https://www.ft.com/content/fd438465-1b92-4075-ac79-e462497c8136.
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