GRYPS

GRYPS
in english a secret message - is a word from Polish prison slang, a language that uses words and expressions taken from everyday life in correctional institutions. This jargon is based on abstract codes that are limited and inaccessible to ordinary people outside the prison environment. As with art, gryps is a way of communication for insiders, hiding the hierarchy and hermeticism of a given half-world. It is a language full of ambiguity that exists in a particular environment - a prison cell, a gallery, or sometimes both of these spaces at once.

*𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓢𝔃𝓪𝓫𝓮𝓻 collective’s exhibition is a site-specific story. It was inspired by the history of the building and the atmosphere of the place - and yet it is not only about the prison itself, but in a broader context also about the Cejl district and the entire city of Brno. The exhibition is also partly the result of a residency during which five members of the collective visited the Moravian capital.

*The title gryps is a message hidden in the walls of Káznice, which the 𝓢𝔃𝓪𝓫𝓮𝓻 collective decided to decipher. Interestingly, the very name of the artistic group, which originates from Krakow, refers to criminal practices, specifically the plundering of property without supervision. It can be argued, then, that a collective experienced in „theft” has embarked on a search of Káznice to bring to light the stories that lie dormant within the walls of this former prison.

curator:

Piotr Sikora

artist:

02.10.2024 Galerie TIC, Brno