Ill female body in practice – Notations by Małgorzata Dawidek

This essay examines Malgorzata Dawidek’s multidisciplinary practice, focusing on her Notations exhibition, showcased at Centrala in 2020. It argues that Dawidek’s Affective Artistic Practice proposes a sustainable and feminist approach to self-representation, incorporating fragility and illness as integral aspects of human experience and everyday engagement. The analysis employs feminist theories, including concepts by Elizabeth Grosz, Rosi Braidotti, Ewa Majewska and Marsha Meskimmon, to interpret Dawidek’s work. The essay contextualizes Dawidek’s practice within the history of female Polish artists (self)-representing illness and explores how it challenges traditional modes of depicting ill female bodies. By engaging with fragility as a form of resistance, Dawidek’s work becomes a critical framework where the ill female body is creative and inventive.