Reality television shows enjoy ubiquitous presence but rarely attract critical viewing. This watching group presents them for active and collective engagement to understand where, and how, do they stand within our culture. Smash hits and classics (Kardashians, GBBO or Love Island) are screened alongside the odd and the cringy (Lindsay, Gogglebox or, if we can stomach it, The Apprentice) and scrutinized for their highlights, political failings and the complicated mimetic relationships with the society off-screen. But most of all, we meet to share our guilty pleasures and think how to reshape them into truly aware and radical television.

Reality TV Watching Group is a project initiated by artist Wojciech Kosma. 

We’re pleased that the third meeting of the Reality TV Watching Group will be co-hosted by Anya Browne, we’d like to focus on a handful of her characters to understand how they operate both within and outside of the productions. Since both series have built big franchises we will also include some of their British and international spin-offs.

As usual, we’d like to invite those attending the watching group to send suggested clips in advance that they would like to discuss together, though there is no requirement to do this in order to come along and take part. This group aims to present reality TV shows for critical and collective engagement to understand how their ubiquitous presence is shaping our culture.

The second meeting of the Reality TV Watching Group will hone in on love and dating in reality TV. From the competition format to scripted reality sagas mapping the romantic lives of a show’s stars, ideas of ‘real’ love are omnipresent in many of our favourite reality shows today. We’d like to invite those attending the watching group to send suggested clips in advance that they would like to discuss together, though there is no requirement to do this in order to come along and take part.

Reality television shows enjoy ubiquitous presence but rarely attract critical viewing. This watching group presents them for active and collective engagement to understand where, and how, do they stand within our culture.

Wojciech Kosma is a member of a Warsaw performance collective Rzeczywistość Emocjonalna and, alongside Johanna Hedva and Sebstian Fäth, of a Berlin noise-punk band Important Part. His collaborative performances have been shown in Chisenhale Gallery, Human Resources and Modern Art Museum in Warsaw among others.