Dr.O, Magda Stawarska

imagine/otherwise is an anthology of books on queer, non-bina ry, or female-identifying artists who have  produced a substantial body of work but may have no publication concerning their art or life in print at the time  of commissioning. The overall proposition, to "imagine" a world "otherwise," stems from the desire to find a different way of looking, writing, and reading about art. Can art be examined unreservedly, unburdened of the limits imposed by any   perceived "dominant hand" of hegemony?

For nearly two decades, Polish-born, UK-based artist Magda Stawarska has explored the threshold of memory, the sanctioned shape of history, and the active experience of listening. Through sound and performance, moving image, photography, painting, and printmaking, the artist unfolds overlooked and contested narratives of the past through her practice of “inner listening.”

Stawarska’s distinct approach to artmaking often begins with explorations of cities. Traversing self-directed routes, the artist has often been compared to a flaneur—moving through each site, cultivating a rhythmic score that reveals a densely layered urban topography. These situated scenes become the basis for a distinct form of language—one of conjured imaginaries. The artist and her carefully chosen collaborators unbuckle the seams of the aural landscape, using personal reflection and language, which the artist uses to create installations that constellate active feelings.

In this critical biography, author Dr. Omar Kholeif offers an introductory field guide to the artist’s practice. Structured as a travelogue, Kholeif moves with Stawarska along various journeys, allowing readers to venture from the streets of Istanbul to the canals of Venice and across the waters of Zanzibar. The book concludes with an afterword by Turner Prize-winning artist Lubaina Himid CBE RA.

Watch a conversation between author Omar Kholeif and artists Magda Stawarska and Lubaina Himid, which is available to view here.