KASIA OLEŚKIEWICZ

visual artist & researcher

“Before the cat that looks at me naked, would I be ashamed like a beast that no longer has the sense of its nudity? Or, on the contrary, like a man who retains the sense of his nudity? Who am I, therefore? Who is it that I am? Whom should this be asked of if not of the other? And perhaps of the cat herself?”-Jacques Derrida, The Animal That Therefore I AmThe project Animal Gaze is a search for more than human point of view. Inspired by the oeuvre of Jacques Derrida, I take up the hypothesis that looking for nonhuman subjective perspective and personhood is not only a compassionate and ethical act. It is also a fascinating tool for establishing connection with oneself and experiencing relief from the ego-driven reality.The works created within the scope of the project are twofold. The first part consists of the sculpture “Derrida and Cat” – two objects made of metal and textiles. The second part is a series of oil paintings that explore personal relationships with nonhumans.

• About the exhibition - gallery archive

Animal Gaze - exhibition view, Das kleine Kunsthaus, Bern, Switzerland, 2025

Exhibition text“Before the cat that looks at me naked, would I be ashamed like a beast that no longer has the sense of its nudity? Or, on the contrary, like a man who retains the sense of his nudity? Who am I, therefore? Who is it that I am? Whom should this be asked of if not of the other? And perhaps of the cat herself?”
-Jacques Derrida, “The Animal That Therefore I Am”The exhibition “Animal Gaze” is a search for more than human point of view. Inspired by the oeuvre of Jacques Derrida, Kasia Oleśkiewicz takes up the hypothesis that looking for nonhuman subjective perspective and personhood is not only a compassionate and ethical act. It is also a fascinating tool for establishing connection with oneself and experiencing relief from the ego-driven reality.
The artist uses the term “animal” as defined in critical animal studies – as applied to both nonhuman and human animals.
The “Animal Gaze” is a search for nonhuman point of view and subjectivity – even if it is always deemed to imperfectness and representation. As Herman Gombiner said to the mouse Hulda in Isaac Bashevis-Singer’s “The Letter Writer”: “In relation to [nonhuman animals] or people are Nazis; for [them] it is an eternal Treblinka.” In the reality of an overwhelming, industrialised and largely unnoticed violence, we ought to look for nonhuman personhood.
For the artist, the animal gaze is also a perception that we can strive towards. Kasia Oleśkiewicz attempts to reclaim the terms, seeing “animality” hyper-positively. In this project, apart from challenging the species hierarchy, she seeks the nonhuman gaze as an inspiration for humans: to reconnect with our own animality.
For this, she recalls the oeuvre of Jacques Derrida, who reflected on nudity in front of the shameless nonhuman gaze. Can embracing the animal gaze be a remedy for our society that tabooed the body, its temporality or illness? Can it lead us down a path towards our senses and haptic perception?
This topic is a result of the artist’s long journey working with animal-related issues. In her art, research and activism, Kasia Oleśkiewicz has been dedicated to undermining hierarchies and envisioning realities without speciesism (discrimination based on species). In her recent work, she looks at this issue through the lens of intersectional theories, which frame human and nonhuman discriminations and liberations together.
The works created within the scope of the project are twofold. The first part consists of the sculpture “Derrida and Cat” – two objects made of metal and textiles. The second part is a series of oil paintings that explore the artist’s personal relationships with nonhumans. The series was created in 2024 and is being presented for the first time at Das kleine Kunsthaus in Bern (27.03 – 12.04.2025). The project is supported by the Culture & Animals Foundation, Kultur Kanton Bern and Burgergemeinde Bern.

Derrida and Cat
Metal, textiles, corn hair, paint, other
180x52x44 cm & 57x22x43 cm
2024

Derrida - details

Cat - detailss

Untitled - sketch from the series Animal Gaze
Oil on paper
29,7x42 cm
2024

Bibi IV - Impression
Oil on canvas
18x13 cm
2024

Bibi II - Diptych
Oil on canvas
18x26 cm
2024

Bibi I - Eye
Oil on canvas
20x20x1,5 cm
2024

I
Oil on canvas paper, wood
42x25x2 cm
2024

Bibi III (Pink)
Oil and acrylic on canvas
55x46x1,5 cm
2024

Animal Gaze
- project booklet
2025

One of the early sketches for the research
Mixed media
Dimensions variable
2023

One of the early sketches for the research
Pencil on paper
From sketchbook
2023

One of the early sketches for the research
Pen on paper
From sketchbook
2023

Working process at my residence studio, Houtkust Studios, Houthem St Gerlach, Netherlands
2024

From the working process, 2024

Project supported by: Culture & Animals Foundation, Burgergemeinde Bern, Kanton Bern

Bibliography:
Bashevis-Singer I., The Letter Writer, The Library of America, New York 2004
Derrida J., The Animal That Therefore I Am, eds. M. Mallet, translated by D. Wills, Fordham University Press, New York 2008

• RELATED WORKS

Works exploring nonhuman point of view and interspecies relationships

Bibi's Recovery
Textiles (elastic bandage, regular bandage, linen, other)
Series of 3 objects of approx. 25x20 cm
2020

Coexistence
Work designed for scrolling
Digtal media
2020

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© Copyright Kasia Oleśkiewicz 2025. All rights reserved.