Soon_

The aggression of the city manifests itself in the roar of engines. Polluted air penetrates identity.
Capital delineates territory.

 

Developed as part of the SOON_78 project, this work is a reflection on the impact of contemporary urbanisation, consumerism, and capital on individual identity. The space of the city and its aggressive dynamics shape our inner worlds, creating new, poisoned versions of ourselves. Under compulsion, we perfect the discipline of running in place, adapting to the demands of the present. As we inhale ever greater gulps of polluted air, our bodies become increasingly fragile.

 

Where the rustle of the forest and birdsong are displaced by urban noise pollution, I cease to be myself. The reason for my migration to the city is my studies. I escape the city as often as I can. My rural studio is an asylum for me, a place to which I am deeply connected. The centralisation of culture in cities poses a significant challenge for me.

Anna Maria Pilarska

 

Anna Maria Pilarska is an artist from the village of Paprotnia in Poland, where she is attempting to create a space for culture and art. Born in 1999, she studies sculpture at the Magdalena Abakanowicz University of the Arts in Poznań. A vital aspect of her life is her relationship with nature and everyday collectivism. She practices tactics of daily resistance through veganism and freeganism, as well as various pro-environmental activities. In her artistic practice, she operates in both critical and affirmative art. She challenges harmful cultural mechanisms that generate oppressive systems of values and explores the mutual interplay between nature and culture. She works with a wide range of media, including sculpture, object, body art, photography, video, and performance.