Exhibition: Agnieszka Polska – Flowers on the Sun @ M HKA Antwerp
The first solo exhibition of Berlin-based Polish artist Agnieszka Polska in Belgium, Flowers on the Sun, features a selection of recent works, including her latest film, The Book of Flowers (2023), created with the assistance of AI-powered tools. The artist initially used stop-motion animation footage of flowers from the 1950s, which was then transformed into AI-generated imagery.
Based on speculative scenarios blended with elements of science fiction, the exhibition highlights issues related to the relationship of humans, non-humans and technology, posing urgent questions about our perception of time and history. Braudel’s Clock ongoing series reflects on the idea of unified time as a social construct, and the world as a complex set of structures evolving at various speeds. In her work Polska also reflects on the individual’s position in the contemporary world.
 Agnieszka Polska, Braudel’s Clock – Hurricane, 2022 © Galeria Dawid Radziszewski |
 Agnieszka Polska, Braudel’s Clock – Octopus and Butterfly, 2023 © Galeria Dawid Radziszewski |
 Agnieszka Polska, Braudel’s Clock – Our Planet, 2023 © Galeria Dawid Radziszewski |
© Agnieszka Polska
About the artist
During her art studies, Agnieszka Polska began creating animations using traditional techniques such as glass table animation. Later, she developed an interest in digital animation and the immersive qualities of the images she creates. Various storytelling formats are crucial to her films. She explores these narratives not only in video works but also in other mediums such as feature film and theater performance. These different forms naturally extend her artistic practice.
For a while, she was interested in the speculative history of avant-garde movements, but now she tends to draw upon stories and inspirations related to planetary socio-technological systems, global changes and contemporary crises. Her influences include visual culture and science fiction works by authors such as Stanisław Lem, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Brian Catling, among others.
In her recent projects, she hints at a future of filmmaking that may shift towards world-building rather than traditional storytelling.
 Agnieszka Polska, Still from ‘The Book of Flowers’ |
 Agnieszka Polska, Still from ‘The Book of Flowers’ |
About M HKA
The M HKA is a museum for contemporary art, film, and visual culture in its widest sense. It is an open place of encounter for art, artists, and the public. The M HKA aspires to play a leading role in Flanders and to extend its international profile by building upon Antwerp’s avant-garde tradition. The M HKA bridges the relationship between artistic questions and wider societal issues, between the international and the regional, artists and public, tradition and innovation, reflection, and presentation. Central here is the museum’s collection with its ongoing acquisitions, as well as related areas of management and research.
About IN SITU
Through the IN SITU programme, M HKA invests in the contemporary art scene. Artists from around the world are invited to create new work in the Point Room, the museum’s most atypical space. Experimentation takes centre stage: here, artists can push the boundaries of their practice with the support of the museum. IN SITU highlights the pioneering spirit of both emerging and established talents.
Agnieszka Polska – Flowers on the Sun – In Situ
21 Sep 2024 – 12 Jan 2025
M HKA
Leuvenstraat 32
2000 Antwerp
Open from Tuesday till Sunday, from 11:00 to 18:00
