Metaphysical Milosz monument unveiled in Krakow

“Trace”, by noted Cracovian artist Aleksander Janicki, chimes in with the current Year of Milosz, marking the centenary of the writer's birth.

Located at the foot of the Royal Castle, in the vicinity of a high-tech new visitor centre, the work conjures the writer's fingerprint.

“Trace” echoes a project supported by film-maker Andrzej Wajda and his wife Krystyna Zachwatowicz, founders of the nearby Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology.

In 2005, the aforementioned museum hosted an exhibition of haiku verses – translations of Milosz's works – in the wake of the writer's death. An installation was planned to accompany the poetry, in this case taking the form of a dry zen garden, made out of white gravel and evoking the writer's fingerprint. However, the project was never realised, owing to lack of funds.

The revived concept is fashioned from steel plate, and is illuminated during the evenings.

Milosz, who spent several decades in exile during the communist era, returned to Poland after the fall of the Iron Curtain and ended his days in Krakow.“Trace” will remain at its present location until the end of the year. (nh)

photo - Paweł Ulatowski biurofestiwalowe.pl