Polski Fiat 126p

Monument of the nineties

16. November 2012. – 18. January 2013.
MegnyitóOpening: November 15, 2012, 7:00 pm
The car that in Poland is the icon of the People’s Republic of Poland and the transition period, for Kuznetsov is a ready-made monument.

The red small Fiat 126p filled with goods for sale such as clothes, cosmetics and food reminds us of the not-so-distant past and borderland trade, a common way to make money quickly popular at that time. It makes us realise that the transformation which takes place in front of our very eyes occurs at its own pace in various parts of Eastern Europe.

There are many small Fiats still cruising the roads in Poland and in other countries, even though its production has been terminated. Although Kuznetsov’s work is a comment on historical economy, it relates more to the everyday present rather than to the monumental past.

Video Peremen is part of the installation. The video depicted excerpts from the popular protests during the collapse of the Soviet empire. The audio track to the video — the song “Changes” sung immortal band “KINO”.

“…This song is officially forbidden to be played on the radio in Belorussia. Volodymyr Kuznetsov illustrates this song with archival footages presenting actual changes taking place: The Berlin wall falling down, the Solidarność movement in Poland etc. He combines it with current Belorussian anti-government movement activities…”