Art Basel Miami Beach: OVR: Barbara Levittoux-Świderska

Our presentation for Art Basel Miami Beach: OVR focuses exclusively on the Polish textile artist Barbara LEVITTOUX-ŚWIDERSKA (1933–2019), whose work is included in the gallery's group exhibition 'Our inheritance was left to us by no testament.' 

A prelude to ‘On Hannah Arendt’, a 12-month programme launching in January 2021 dedicated to the writing of the German-born, American political philosopher, 'Our inheritance was left to us by no testament' draws on a quote by René Char found in the preface of Arendt’s 1968 publication Between Past and Future, where Arendt interprets the absence of testament as a break from tradition in the modern age.

Levittoux-Świderska, one of the most important textile artists in Poland, didn’t just break tradition but created radical new directions in contemporary art through her distinctly Polish and politically charged weaving practice, transforming tapestry from flat decoration to avant-garde installation. Like her contemporaries Magdalena Abakanowicz and Jolanta Owidzka, Levittoux-Świderska trained with the Polish Textile School and became part of a network of artists who used locally sourced materials and rural practices to improvise new art-making methods and forms. She quickly became an important figure in a post-war generation of artists who, responding to repressive ideological shifts within Poland, changed the perception and direction of textile art in Europe.

Richard Saltoun Gallery’s presentation for Miami Beach: OVR features some of the most dramatic and immersive installations of the artist’s career, many of which are on view to the public for the first time.

Art Basel Miami Beach: OVR runs from 4–6 December, with VIP preview days from 2–4 December. The physical exhibition reopens in London on 3 December and will run until 19 December. Learn more about the show in a video introduction by gallery director Niamh Coghlan. 

Visit the Art Basel Miami Beach: OVR here.