An Eye for an Eye (1998)

In the video work An Eye for an Eye, by the artist Artur Żmijewski, the expression from the title gains new meaning. The video portrays people with a disability, people who following an amputation are severely restricted in their day-to-day lives. Temporary relief is offered by able-bodied people who literally lend them their own bodies. Together they form one body through a firm embrace. Offering healthy limbs, however, requires breaking intimate personal barriers whereby both parties become more vulnerable. Żmijewski’s video is a story about intimacy and overcoming potential social marginalisation. Through his direct approach, without becoming sentimental or concerning himself with political correctness, An Eye for an Eye is a profoundly persuasive and thought-provoking video work.

Artur Żmijewski’s work is exhibited internationally at biennials and in museums. He represented Poland at the 51^st Venice Biennale in 2005, and was part of The Encyclopaedic Palace at the 55^th Venice Biennale, curated by Massimiliano Gioni in 2013. Last year his work was shown, among others, in Canada, America, France, Hungary and Poland. Żmijewski studied sculpture at the Academy of Arts in Warsaw and the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam.