The installation accompanies the exhibition “A century. The anniversary of the great exhibition of Silesian medieval art”
31 lipca – 3o grudnia 2026
Fot. Hubert Bujak
Curator: Małgorzata Micuła
The courtyard of the Four Domes Pavilion Museum of Contemporary Art provides the setting for the presentation of Sub rosa, a large-scale sculpture by Anna Bujak. The exhibit, prepared especially for this space, refers to the architecture of the building and its pre-war history. Based on the formal characteristics of Gothic art, this work becomes a manifesto concerning the professional aspirations of female artists.
The monumental sculpture Sub rosa(2026) was cast entirely in aluminium as a site-specific object created for this place by a female artist. In the ten-year history of the Pavilion as a museum dedicated to contemporary art, this particular aspect should be highlighted, along with all the other elements raising awareness of the feminist perspective contained in this artefact.
For Bujak, the point of departure were the professional aspirations of women artists, combined with the cultural, social, institutional, and economic conditions in which they are realised. The artist is interested in factors building up the strength of professional motivations, as well as in mechanisms which effectively depreciate and reduce them. Thus the Latin expression sub rosa refers to the silent aspirations of women, which often remain wishes pronounced in private, but also to actions undertaken in secret.
The style and form-related analogies with Gothic art are also of importance in this context. “The inspiration of Gothic architecture is merely a pretext to expressing personal reflections on the power of art, imperative of creating, sense of agency, and also relations between fragility and monumentality”, explained Anna Bujak. “A cathedral erected with stems of roses combines architecturality with the organicness of the plant, creating space for many interpretations, including those referring to the female experience and historical concepts of who can construct monuments. The opportunity to create this sculpture within the Four Domes Pavilion constitutes for me a symbolic breaking through the glass ceiling on many levels of perception”, added the artist.
■ „A century. The anniversary of the great exhibition of Silesian medieval art” ➸
Honorary patronage:
Marta Cienkowska, Minister of Culture and National Heritage
The exhibition is part of the „Gothic in Poland” project carried out in 2026–2027 by the National Museum in Wrocław, the National Museum in Poznań and the Wawel Royal Castle
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland
