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The Aquarium

January 28, 2006- March 4, 2006

Pawel Wojtasik

Alona Kagan Gallery

540 W 29th St

Alona Kagan Gallery is pleased to announce “The Aquarium”, the debut solo exhibition by Polish-born artist Pawel Wojtasik. Pawel traveled to several locations, including the SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska, to document the problematic relationship that exists between humans and creatures forced by them to inhabit aquariums. After the tragic Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989 in the Gulf of Alaska, the corporation spent thirty-nine million dollars, as part of its reparation effort, to build the Alaska SeaLife Center aquarium. The avowed purpose was research, rehabilitation of endangered species, and creation of a tourist destination. Today, some of the animals that vanished from the Alaskan ecosystem can be seen at the aquarium (e.g. Steller sea lions).

Pawel Wojtasik is a 2005 artist-in-residence of the LAB HD Outreach Program of the VOOM HD Networks. Wojtasik was given free access to state-of-the-art high definition video cameras and post-production facilities. He is one of the first artists to complete a work in LAB's Outreach Program, a Voom HD effort to bring new and innovative talent into commercial television. His installation, "The Aquarium," was produced in Alaska, Mystic, CT, and New York City, and contrasts the stunning vistas of the last frontier with the claustrophobia of captured sea mammals living in aquariums. Beyond its artistic merit, the work gives pause for reflection. Even as these artificial environments give safe haven to endangered animals and offer visitors a mesmerizing glimpse at the majesty of nature, Wojtasik's film looks beyond the spectacle to the reality of progressive destruction of these animals' very habitat.

Pawel Wojtasik received his MFA from Yale University in 1996. Recently, he was included in Exit Art’s The Studio Visit as well as PS1 Contemporary Art Center’s Greater New York show in 2005. Artists Residencies include Yaddo, Newman’s Own, Inc. Endowed residency (Film), Saratoga Springs, NY and MacDowell, Peterborough, New Hampshire.

Books and DVDs related to artists in this show

Location map Location Closed  Gallery Alona Kagan Gallery Address 540 W 29th St New York (Chelsea) NY, 10001 United States Phone 212-560-0670 Fax 212-560-0671 Hours Tue-Sat 10-6 Nearby: All 2 galleries at 540 W 29th St

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