Polish artist Karolina Breguła’s five-channel video installation, The Storm, explores the Biennale’s key themes—safety and security, or the absence of both—revealing the fragility of communities gripped by anxiety and uncertainty in the face of overlapping crises.
It presents a dark and unsettling portrait of collective fear, isolation and, on a broader scale, a dysfunctional society. In an era of global political and environmental crises, Breguła’s dark, analytical work captures a complex psychological state through a deceptively simple scenario: the image of the sea and a distant island, observed by five characters who gradually unveil their deepest emotions as the wind and waves grow more violent. The looming storm not only signals an impending natural disaster but also l exposes social tensions and conflicts within the small community, which appears unprepared to confront the coming dangers together. The installation’s text-heavy, talking head composition portrays the individuals crippled by fear, while the growing suspense underscores their inability to unite—paralyzed by suspicion, separation, and powerlessness.
Breguła is a brilliant storyteller who works through deeply researched, collaborative processes, delving into the sensitivities and social changes that shape communities. The Storm, created in collaboration with local artists in Buncrana on Ireland’s north-west coast, explores the underlying dynamics of a society that prioritizes self-interest over solidarity—where survival is an individual struggle rather than a shared responsibility. It portrays people trapped in a cycle of competition, mistrust, and alienation, caught in a storm that serves as a powerful metaphor for a system that has eroded human connections, leaving them unable to respond with care and compassion.
Many of Breguła’s projects revolve around a poetic yet rather unsettling portrayal of collective experiences, often reflecting on the state of the oceans in the context of the climate crisis. Through her expansive and experimental cinematic language, she creates situations in which collective storytelling can emerge. For Breguła, collaborative fiction writing is a political act—one that facilitates the diagnosis, expression, and discussion of societal issues.