The Banana Republic. Polish Expression of the 1980s
2009. Nov. 20. - 2010. Jan. 31.
The exhibition presented a rich selection of Polish art from the eighties. The paintings, drawings, photographs and films show the work of the most important artistic groups – a segment of the world under Polish communist oppression that was itself looked down upon by the authorities in those years. The activities of the New Expressionists were seen by the state as a youthful fad rather than a threat to the regime. Time has shown how wrong they were. The new Expressionism was born out of opposition to the political dictatorship and social inertia, and at the same time it was an active critique of an unemotional, unideological and unacademic art. Its representatives were keen to touch on personal and sometimes intimate subjects, while expressing risky political views that were not to the liking of the authorities and advocating the need for a life worthy of human dignity. In this way they built a concrete alternative to the official art scene.
Curator: Jolanta CIESIELSKA
Artists: Ambroziak Sylwester, Balka Miroslaw, Bednarski Krysztof, Ciepelewska Ewa, Dowgiallo Zbigniew Maciej, Grzyb Ryszard, Grzyb-Jarodzka Bozena, Jarodzki Pawel, Klaman Gregorz, Kosalka Jerzy, Kowalewski Pawel, Lódz Kaliska, Luxus, Miastowki Andrej Egon, Mlodozeniec Piotr, Modzelewski Jaroslaw, Nitka Zdislaw, Pawlak Wlodzimierz, Sobczyk Marek, Szcudlo Eugeniusz, Skarbek Krysztof, Susid Pawel, Truszkowski Jerzy, Wozniak Ryszard, Czerwonka Witold, Lodz Kaliska