The exhibition at the Former Sail Factory in Cottbus is the second in a series of exhibitions in Poland and Germany – following the exhibition Hommage à Jan Buck (I): We Lived Tomorrow in the museum – Energy Plant in Knappenrode – for which artists-educators from the Institute of Visual Arts in Zielona Góra prepare new works each time. Some of the works currently presented are installations and objects with a site-specific character. Others refer to physical and mental space, including the aura of the border region and areas of migration and population exchange. The title "place" is sometimes understood as something personal – related to individual memories, like a home – once inhabited by "others" or being a symbol of security, yet alienation. At other times, it serves as a reference to collective memory and geopolitical conditions – natural, artificial, and changing borders.

The current presentation is also an echo of Jan Buck's experiences – places where he lived, creative exchange with Poles, concern for the natural environment, respect for local identity and the natural environment, and a sense of oppression by totalitarian systems. In terms of the richness of represented techniques, it refers to the interdisciplinary legacy of the Sorbian artist. Some of the exhibited works directly relate to his art – his statements about art and the topics he addressed, such as the issue of national minorities or fascination with the discovery of the cosmos, as well as the light of places he discovered during his numerous artistic journeys.

Dr. Lidia Głuchowska, Institute of Visual Arts, University of Zielona Góra

The exhibition at the Former Sail Factory in Cottbus is the second in a series of exhibitions in Poland and Germany – following the exhibition Hommage à Jan Buck (I): We Lived Tomorrow in the museum – Energy Plant in Knappenrode – for which artists-educators from the Institute of Visual Arts in Zielona Góra prepare new works each time. Some of the works currently presented are installations and objects with a site-specific character. Others refer to physical and mental space, including the aura of the border region and areas of migration and population exchange. The title "place" is sometimes understood as something personal – related to individual memories, like a home – once inhabited by "others" or being a symbol of security, yet alienation. At other times, it serves as a reference to collective memory and geopolitical conditions – natural, artificial, and changing borders.

The current presentation is also an echo of Jan Buck's experiences – places where he lived, creative exchange with Poles, concern for the natural environment, respect for local identity and the natural environment, and a sense of oppression by totalitarian systems. In terms of the richness of represented techniques, it refers to the interdisciplinary legacy of the Sorbian artist. Some of the exhibited works directly relate to his art – his statements about art and the topics he addressed, such as the issue of national minorities or fascination with the discovery of the cosmos, as well as the light of places he discovered during his numerous artistic journeys.

Dr. Lidia Głuchowska, Institute of Visual Arts, University of Zielona Góra