Madame Critic

Installation: Artistic Book and Ceramic Painting

The book was written by the contemporary ceramic collector Iwona Siewierska; the ceramic crocodile and ceramic painting are authored by Mirosław Kociński. The author of the book is Joanna Skrzypiec.

However, this is not typical book. Short texts, resembling diary entries, narrate the challenges of the corporate environment, determination, competition, and strength. The text blocks are interspersed with beautiful yet unsettling photographs of ceramic sculptures, placed in surprising outdoor settings: heads engulfed in leaves, stone statues bathed in snow, a golden mouth amidst tall grass. We witness all seasons, the unstoppable passage of time, anxiety, mystery, and ruthlessness.

The form itself deviates significantly from the typical codex we are familiar with. The book block is surrounded by a multi-layered cover, gradually revealing its secrets. Each layer allows us to uncover the silent hero of this story: the crocodile depicted on the cover - a symbol of strength, power, and hidden danger. Of deceit and manipulation. Is there anyone among us who hasn't heard of crocodile tears?

Doesn't this evoke thoughts of young individuals entangled in the corporate web, toiling away to achieve success, often at the expense of others? The white, ceramic crocodile on the book cover stands alone. Triumphant. Meanwhile, a whole swarm of deceptively similar, yet black crocodiles, unified in the painting, either observes or lurks in the background, watching him.