U  N  I  V  E  R  S  U  M
ד  ע  ר    א  ו  נ  י  ו  ו  ע  ר  ס

Maria Ka’s installation in POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw between August 7th & 19th 2024 consisted of three separate parts, each representing an individual audiovisual universe that reflected, aside from the music, the key intentions behind the artist’s creations—the visibility of women’s stories, the contemporary and progressive nature of the Yiddish language, and an autonomous female perspective.

The first universum was „Di arumike velt די אַרומיקע וועלט” (lit. The Surrounding World; original title: The New Reality). It consisted of the material produced in the year 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. In it, for the first time, the artist employed a formula—which has since grown to become her signature formula—which connects Yiddish language with contemporary music genres: alternative, electro, punk and rock. Three original songs from the album were presented in the exhibition: „Krankheyt קראַנקהייט”, „(I) ShaWoman אשה – פֿרוי” and the eponymous „Di arumike velt די אַרומיקע וועלט”. In its original form, each song is accompanied by the artist’s visuals, and that is how they were presented in the Rotating Gallery space.

The second universum was a multilingual project titled „Di shaykhesn די שײַכותן” (Connections). It is an album created in 2022 in three languages—Yiddish, Polish and English—that are interwoven in the songs’ structure, entirely inspired by the multiplicity of identities and the eponymous connections between them. Each song is a separate persona in the visual layer, adding another layer of meaning to the whole. The gallery included three original songs from the album: „Bingo בינגאָ”, „Enigma עניגמאַ” and „Ven es regnt ווען עס רעגנט” along with the accompanying music videos, lyrics and translation.

The third universum was Maria Ka’s latest album: „Der Hemshekh דער המשך” (The Continuation), recorded—unlike the previous two solo albums—with a band. The album was written and recorded in 2020, at the peak of the Women’s Strike against the legislation tightening abortion law in Poland and in the context of the raging pandemic. The material released in 2023 is dedicated to the invisible biographies of women and to the female perspective which has not been included in the prevailing historical narrative. It consists of five original song compositions—four were presented in the Rotating Gallery in the audio-visual form, one: „Mayn simen iz skorpion מײַן סימען איז סקאָרפּיאָן” was available only in the audio form. Music videos in „Der Hemshekh דער המשך” universe are: „Gikhe trit גיכע טריט”, „Ikh bin mid איך בין מיד”, „Ven ikh kuk oyf ווען איך קוק אויף” and „Ale teg אַלע טעג”, all four edited by the artist.

The presentation was accompanied by Maria Ka’s solo concert titled „Di shaykhesn די שײַכותן”, during which she performed most of the songs presented in the Gallery.