Europallet made of the most luxurious wood

For more than 1,350 years, oak wood lay underwater in the Białowieża Forest, from which the Polish artist Karolina Grzywnowicz made an (un)ordinary europallet. She called her work “Still Life”. She used certified wood, which gets its dark hue from being soaked in water for hundreds of years.

The resulting work highlights the contrast between two worldviews, two approaches to the use of this forest on the Polish-Belarusian border: one fights for its preservation for its ecological and biological values, the other sees it as a source of raw material that can be monetized. Moreover, the situation was exacerbated eight years ago by the Law and Justice Party government, which increased logging threefold in this, the only natural site in Poland listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A palette of Europe’s most luxurious and expensive wood can be seen at the Olomouc Museum of Art at the SEFO 2024 Triennial exhibition.

Refugee outfits

However, the Bialowieza Forest is not only a place of dispute over the use of natural and cultural heritage, but also a clash of civilisations. Since 2021, it has been the scene of a humanitarian crisis due to refugees from various countries being sent to Poland by the Belarusian dictator Lukashenko. Refugees seeking a safe place have become victims of a cynical political game played by the authorities, who, by violating human rights, condemn people in the forest to suffering, disease and death.

Karolina Grzywnowicz covers the remains of the refugees’ uppers with a glass hatch and explores the role of smell as camouflage, a tool of resistance and healing. The inspiring work “Polish Jungle” can also be explored at the SEFO 2024 Triennial exhibition.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)