Meet contemporary illustrators whose artistic expressivity, diversity and inventiveness encourage the next generation of young readers to explore literature.
Polish book illustration has a rich tradition, it is nearly 200 years old. In the years 1950-1980 Polish children’s book illustrations were popular all over the world. Our books gained recognition and won awards. They were valued for their sense of artistic freedom, rich form, and innovative approach. This phenomenon owed a great deal to the work of the most acclaimed contemporary Polish artists from the Polish School of Posters, such as Roman Cieślewicz, Janusz Stanny, Henryk Tomaszewski or Jan Młodożeniec. It was then that the term “Polish School of Illustration” entered circulation. Polish illustration, including the picture book, has been a dynamically evolving field of art. The achievements of Polish artists in this field are truly impressive. Aside from the well-known masters of illustration, such as Józef Wilkoń or Bohdan Butenko whose art has just gained a new lease of life, the younger generations of artists are becoming highly successful as well. For over a decade, we have been observing the development of the children’s book market. A large number of new, indie publishing houses have taken the risk of publishing novel and artistically innovative books. Their avant-garde forms have been recognised in the world. For the past several years, Polish books have been winning the most important international children’s books awards, such as the Bologna Ragazzi Award.
Similar processes are taking place in Ukrainian and Lithuanian children’s literature. Books illustrated by both experienced and emerging graphic designers have been winning international awards. These titles are also published by Polish publishers.
Romana Andriyi
Illustrators participating in the exhibition:
Agrafka Studio (Romana Romanyshyn and Andriy Lesiv), Edgar Bąk, Katarzyna Bogucka, Oksana Bula, Iwona Chmielewska, Robert Czajka, Inga Dagile, Polina Doroshenko and Vlada Soshkina, Emilia Dziubak, Małgorzata Gurowska, Monika Hanulak, Marta Ignerska, Rasa Jančiauskaitė, Kęstutis Kasparavičius, Aušra Kiudulaite, Marianna Oklejak, Paweł Pawlak, Ola Płocińska, Mariana Prokhasko, Dawid Ryski, Anna Sarvira, Elena Selena, Piotr Socha, Studio Acapulco (Agata Dudek and Małgorzata Nowak), Marianna Sztyma
The exhibition “Peekaboo” at Workshops of Culture in Lublin presents children’s book illustrations by 15 Polish, 5 Lithuanian and 5 Ukrainian artists. Curated by Ewa Solarz, Open: June – October 2019
Edited by Contemporary Lynx
