Kasia Oleśkiewicz
Polish artist Kasia Oleśkiewicz received a CAF grant for “Animal Gaze.” Kasia also works on The Farm Project (see images in the gallery below): an attempt to constitute and represent research on factory farming, and systematic violence against nonhuman animals and their suffering. Kasia creates visual artworks functioning as forms of commemoration, as well as reflections on speciesism, artivism, public space, and collective memory through writing and speaking.
Of “Animal Gaze,” Kasia writes:
I attempt to capture a glimpse of the nonhuman perspective—with humility and awareness of not being able to know. I want to inspire thoughts about the nonhuman point of view, which would lead to questioning all subordination, species hierarchy, and captivity. In this project, I aim to raise those issues through a shared fascination that results in respect. I believe in the importance of bringing up nonhuman personhood—to challenge the way we treat and exploit animals, but also to look for the human self as an animal. Recalling Jacques Derrida’s words about being naked in front of animal gaze can be extremely inspiring and healing for humans: allowing us to experience relief from self-creation, competition, and ego-driven reality.
Kasia widens the group of Polish grantees who are interested in highlighting and exploring animal subjectivity, resistance, and agency, such as Marta Bogdanska, Wlodzimierz Gogloza, and Michał Matuszewski.
Kasia is visual artist, art historian and researcher, animal rights activist, and vegan.
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