ONE FOR ART AND ONE FOR DESIGN. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FOR THE MOST TALENTED GRADUATES.

Agnieszka Cecylia Maćkowiak

This year’s edition of the Maria Dokowicz Competition is organised for the 37^th time by the University of the Arts Poznan. This exciting and sought-after event is followed by an art exhibition of the submitted works. The annual competition is a great place to discover emerging talent on the rise and a great chance for the recent graduates to fast-forward their artistic careers. The winner of the previous edition was a painter Mateusz Piestrak and an architect Anna Pilawska. Piestrak’s multidimensional, fragmentary, foggy paintings have been already recognised by an international audience with two solo shows in art galleries in New York and London.

It is worth mentioning, the story behind the founder of the scholarship. Maria Dokowicz graduated from the Poznań school in 1932. In her will, she bequeathed USD 10,000 for an annual international scholarship for the most talented graduate. Her scholarship has been granted since 1980 (with one exception, of 1981). Heads of Departments at the University, nominate students to take part in the Competition. In this way, each Department may show the best graduation work. The Senate of the University of Arts in Poznan then chooses two laureates awarded the scholarship from among the 30 graduates: one for art and one for design. Their names are read out during the opening of the exhibition that follows the competition.

In addition to the cash awards, since 2016 the achievements of both laureates are presented at individual exhibitions at the ‘Arsenał’ Municipal Gallery of the University of the Arts Poznan. This year’s theme of the post-contest exhibition is ‘Utility of Art’ (Użyteczność sztuki). The theme is linked to the two core activities developed by the University of the Arts Poznan – fine arts and design. ‘Utility of Art’ encourages a discussion about the creative practice in the duty of the society.

The opening of the exhibition linked to the 37th edition of the Maria Dokowicz Competition is on 10 November at 18:00, at the International Art Fair in Poznań (MTP) Pavilion 1. The exhibition runs until 16 November.

Nominees for the Maria Dokowicz Competition 2017 are: Andrzejczak Maciej, Bartczak Zuzanna, Bilska Paula, Borkowicz Kuba, Chrzanowska Magdalena, Ciszak Emilia, Daszkowski Krystian, Dąbrowska Aneta, Deczkowska Dobrawa, Garstecki Mikołaj, Grudzińska Izabela, Jugo Magdalena, Kryshtofik Aliona, Krzysiek Kaja, Kucharzyk Kinga, Kulpa Maria, Latanowicz Aleksandra, Maćkowiak Agnieszka Cecylia, Marciniak Magdalena, Martyniuk Joanna, Muszyńska Joanna, Nowicka Sonia Małgorzata, Polerowicz Aleksandra, Popiela Kinga, Radawski Maksymilian, Rybska Aleksandra, Rzepińska Marta, Sitarska Izabela, Strzelczyk Ada, Szyda Joanna, Waszak Mateusz, Wąsowska Katarzyna, Weiss Wojciech, Wera Weronika, Wojciechowska Karolina, Zakrzewska Natalia.

Contemporary Lynx is a proud media patron of the Competition.

See the video from the previous edition of the Competition.