Karolina Breguła

Long distances are part and parcel of the work of anyone delivering correspondence - narrow paths, potholed sidewalks, stairs up, stairs down. Karolina Breguła's film, shot in the summer of 2023, meticulously captures the daily route of Anna Nowak, a postwoman from Szczecin who covers an average of 12.41 kilometers each day.

In this hysterical deadpan pseudo-doc, acclaimed Polish artist Karolina Bregula constructs a scenario in a fictional Northern European city plagued by mysterious fires throughout its history. As the town’s peculiar inhabitants speculate about the cause of the fires, the way they may be prevented and the strange coincidence of where they occur, a possible conspiracy to destroy local art begins to emerge. Are the fires caused by a secret cabal of art historians who wish to aid local artists by eviscerating the burden of art history? Have the needs of the art market placed infinite demands upon the finite resources of artists? “Fires,” a botanist tells us, “are vital to maintaining fully dynamic ecosystems. Without fires there simply is no new life.”

A mysterious sculpture which is a remnant of the bygone political order hidden in the bushes on the square. One day the sculpture begins to communicate with the passers-by. It hums silently at first and its beautiful voice becomes a source of pleasure. Soon, however, it begins to sing louder and louder. The lyrics of the sculpture’s song gradually become clearer: “I’d like to ask you a question.” To avoid facing difficult issues, it causes the community’s complaints, misunderstandings and anger.