Unleash your inner Fox

There’s something unnerving about fairy tales. Through the eyes of a child they’re filled with magic and wonder, as adults we see the sinister subtexts and are inherently suspicious of well-meaning morals. Tales within historical spaces, an exhibition currently on display at QUT Art Museum, embraces this tension, exploring nostalgic themes through photography, drawing and handcrafted artefacts. Showcasing the work of Polish-Australian artist Beata Batorowicz, Tales within historical spaces creates a narrative around the artist’s heritage – hedged between inherited stories from World War II and a collection of fables extracted from a children’s book, Bajki z Auschwitz (Fairy tales from Auschwitz), written secretly by Polish prisoners detained in the Nazi concentration camp.

Opening and concluding with a written statement and a darkened space, the exhibition begs to be read like a book – the first and last rooms the cover, the rooms in between the chapters. This clever layout set the tone for the show, which allowed me to approach its contents in an appropriate frame of mind – excitement, childish fear and titillating anticipation that witches may be lurking around the corner. 

I wasn’t completely disappointed. There weren’t any witches, but there were plenty of little girls in red and cunning foxes – imagery Batorowicz has used to describe her alter ego, the ‘foxy artist’, within her work. The theatre aficionado within me was delighted by the number of performance-related pieces within the exhibition. All hand made from cleverly sourced natural materials, Batorowicz’s puppets, props, masks and capes are the absolute highlight of the show. Through weaving, sewing, braiding and beading, the artist has brought life to an array of curious characters and menacing monsters. Ingenious installation allowed for an intriguing dialogue to occur between the puppets. The majority were carefully hung from the ceiling in such a way that they were seemingly alive – their disfigured shadows moulding into a great dark beast. One, however, was leant against the wall – transforming the artefact from a terrifying creature into an enchanted shamanistic staff.

Of such brilliance these artefacts were, it lead me to wonder why the rest of the exhibition was even included. The first room was littered with uninspiring photographs of black and white Polish trees which, at first glance, appeared horrifically pixelated.  Thankfully closer inspection revealed the dead branches were merely dusted with snow, giving them a strangely furry appearance, and were not the tragedies I initially thought. This made them slightly more interesting, but compared to the handmade quality of Batorowicz’s sculptures, the photographs were confusing, unnecessary and out of place. Reproductions of paperwork from WWII belonging to Batorowicz’s relatives included in the second last room produced a similar reaction within me – they too were interesting but interrupted the flow of the exhibition. I later discovered that these works were incorporated within the exhibition’s accompanying book. The documents were used as supporting evidence towards the included stories and the tree photographs were used as an eerie silhouetted background for the text. Within this context I thoroughly enjoyed the works, however in the context of the exhibition they just didn’t fit. 

Contrary to this were Batorowicz’s illustrations – originally created for the sole purpose of the catalogue and yet ultimately included within the final display. The antique nature of the drawings, seemingly straight out of a Brothers Grimm compendium, gave the works a similar feel to that of the puppets and props. Despite having been made for the art book, they were right at home within the exhibition – this was a decision well made on the part of the curator. 

Despite the mentioned grievances, Tales within historical spaces hit the mark for me – to the point where I purchased the exhibition catalogue, something I rarely do. Though I may be biased due to my interest in the performing arts, I certainly recommend taking a look before it closes. Certain curatorial choices interrupted the flow of an otherwise excellent exhibition, but ultimately were not enough to dampen my experience. 

Tales within historical spaces will remain at QUT Art Museum until the 28^th of October, after which it is set to show in Poland. If you’re like me – a die-hard fan of fairy tales and magic – you won’t want to miss this one.    by Lauren Ryan