Among the artists: Beata Śliwińska ‘Barrakuz’, Martyna Wędzicka-Obuchowicz, Vadym Solowski
The second edition of annual New Polish Poster Exhibition (NPPE) will this year be focusing on social posters representing current social issues among which is discrimination of women’s and LGBT community’s rights with an emphasis on present conditions in Poland.
The exhibition will feature a collection of posters made by some of the most prolific young Polish graphic designers whose works address contemporary social issues.
Though fascinated by the posters availability and potential for populistic influence, we consider it an ambiguous art-form, as it is still unclear whether we should define posters as graphic commodities or art. With its initial mass distribution in the streets, the poster is today generally considered an object of art and is thus featured in galleries and museums world-wide. It has even transcended into its own branch of art-practise. Notwithstanding, the poster will predominantly remain a conveyor of information and an agent of non-verbal communication in public spaces. This makes the poster a form of expression, sometimes even a manifesto. By its very anatomy, comprised of both written information and visual cues, the poster pose the unique ability of quickly connecting with its audience, while leaving a long-lasting imprint of its overall message. The function of the poster in present day remains important and we see it being used to express the opinions of social groups, illustrate dogmatic reforms and provoke discussions. That is why the contemporary poster exhibition is both an artistic and social event: celebrating the form, the conceptual content and their synergy.
While considering the social poster’s relevance and importance in a contemporary setting, we would like to use this part of the event as a segue into a more in-depth discussion on the topics of diversity and equality. Hence during the exhibition’s opening night, we will be hosting a talk on topics related to capital social issues, such as racism and gender discrimination. In particular we will be talking about LGBT community- for whom the exhibition is dedicated – and consider the challenges their members have to face in Poland, before comparing these to the current state of things in Scotland.
We hope the exhibition will be an informative and interesting experience for everyone interested in poster art and social issues.
Iga Zwolinska
Curator