Warning! Bad dog

The exhibition WARNING THE BAD DOG explores both the act of welcoming visitors and the fear they may evoke. It delves into themes such as gold and hollow teeth, German washing powder, sweat, and Ponglish. The show features works from Monika Drożyńska’s Tablecloths series, which she has been developing since 2019. As the artist explains:

“The tablecloth symbolizes the celebration of community and relationships. I put a tablecloth when I want to mark a special day. I set it when I am about to host someone. We gather around the table. The tablecloth connects us, holding our hands, our arms, our food, and our drinks together.”

The works are created using the technique of hand embroidery on fabric, with each piece functioning as an ‘essay’ composed of words, symbols, and images. The artist incorporates a variety of alphabets—Georgian, Hebrew, Cyrillic, Morse code, and Braille—and blends phrases written in different languages such as Polish, Ukrainian, German, English, and Afrikaans. She draws iconography from sign language, road and evacuation signs, political symbols, as well as logos of corporations and social movements. The works also reference the symbolism of prison tattoos and graphic representations of stars constellations.

Monika Drożyńska’s embroideries capture the causes and effects of migration, emigration, and one-way journeys, highlighting the pivotal role language plays in these narratives. In essence, they reflect on why we are always on the move and what comes of it.

This project is a continuation of the exhibition Much good/ Дуже добре, presented at Galeria Foksal in the summer of 2021.