Krakers, or Cracow Art Week, aims to integrate the city's artistic community and prove that it has its finger on the pulse of cultural life.
And no-one is in any doubt that this environment is changing – and not just because of the pandemic. Krakers [this year it took place between 13 and 20 June under the motto (NO) HOPE – ed.] is a week of showcasing contemporary art in galleries and more. Even the change of name a few years ago – from Gallery Weekend to Art Week – captivates the changes taking place in contemporary art in Kraków.
"Today, many curators, cultural animators and artists operate outside the realm of institutional galleries. They create spaces far removed from the familiar white cube exhibition spaces. This really shows the reshuffling and energy of change. Many of these new venues, unlike galleries, have no legal standing and function outside the art market, but they also show the work of artists who are already recognised, such as Maria Loboda, who has made her place in the international art world by exhibiting her work at the Venice Biennale or the Documenta in Kassel," says Małgorzata Gołębiewska, director of Krakers and co-founder of the Wschód Sztuki Foundation.
Veterans
Krakers reveals how the cultural landscape of Kraków and its galleries has changed – and not just because of the pandemic. For several years we have been observing a regrouping of forces in Kraków. Two veteran galleries, the Starmach Gallery and Zderzak, have lost their momentum, though both still offer interesting and well thought-out exhibitions from time to time. On Węgierska Street there have been recent shows of works by Janusz Orbitowski and Magdalena Abakanowicz. The second gallery, which has relocated from Floriańska Street to Słowackiego Boulevard, "juxtaposed" glass by Zbigniew Horbowy and painting by Stefan Gierowski.
Art Agenda Nova was a revelation a decade or so ago. It was the key destination for collectors of the latest art in Kraków, especially when it came to up-and-coming artists. The gallery hosted some of the first exhibitions by artists such as Bartosz Kokosiński, Tomasz Kowalski, Michał Zawada, Michał Korchowiec and Agnieszka Polska. Although this address may have “cooled down” a bit recently, it still presents the latest projects by artists of such calibre as Łukasz Surowiec.
The Olympia Gallery, still focusing on unusual artistic projects and growing its own artistic and social community, has remained a completely distinct place. Without pretention and a cemented conviction of superiority, it tries to construct its own hierarchies, far from the general dictates of taste.
Olympia Gallery Michał Iwański's exhibition "Walk in My Head", 2020, photo by Daniel Mączka
Aspiring galleries
But, as we all know, life abhors a vacuum, and Kraków has developed a large selection of aspiring galleries. Some seem to be almost meteoric – they flare up and soon disappear without trace. The future of many is uncertain. Not so long ago, the more promising venues included the Henryk Gallery, now operating sporadically and nomadically, or Jak Zapomnieć. But "pop-up projects" are now a peculiarity of a growing volume of artistic production.
On the other hand, a UFO has been squatting in Kazimierz, and it’s certainly worth a visit. Director Maria Ciborowska has a natural feel for the young and the youngest generation, showing works by such artists as Marta Antoniak and Krzysztof Marchlak. "For me, anything that falls between figurative and abstract painting is interesting. And I am curious to see where the artists are positioned on this axis," says Maria Ciborowska.
Ufo Art Gallery, photo by Krzysztof Marchlak
In turn, Elementarz Dla Mieszkańców Miast, located in an attic on Asnyka Street, is famous for its interesting art and underground events. It has freshness and an excellent sense of current artistic direction of the highest standard, and its exhibitions would make the best galleries at home and abroad proud.
The map of Kraków galleries also includes another incarnation of F.A.I.T. Regardless of the address, it has always been a trend-setting place. Suffice it to say that it was the foundation under this name that prepared the first exhibitions of the young abstraction, for example Tomasz Baran. Today, it is one of the most interesting phenomena in young art, appreciated far beyond the borders of Poland. And in recent years, the creators of F.A.I.T. have been responsible for initiatives such as the Kraków Art Salon – an event very well received by artists and critics alike.
Recently, a number of initiatives and collectives have emerged, such as Widna or the Nośna Foundation, which attempt to refresh the artistic image of Kraków over and over again. They are highly successful and have been presenting their own creative discoveries.
The Gallery Maginot Line
There are many galleries "wrapped around" Kraków to varying degrees. It's a set of galleries that I myself once called "the artistic Maginot Line" – places entrenched in their own aesthetics and points of view. Well established, for years they have been absorbing and presenting the artistic climate of Kraków from the perspective of slightly more experienced artists. Here we have the Association of Polish Artists and Designers’ Pryzmat Gallery, where "all the greats" have shown their works, including Danuta Leszczyńska-Kluza and Adam Marczyński, as well as many other members of the association.
Artemis, on the other hand, has been able to rely on both classics, such as Ewa Kuryluk or Jan Dobkowski, and on artists of the young generation such as Marta Kawiorska and Marcin Kowalik.
Artemis Gallery, photo by Janusz Leśniak
Otwarta Pracownia remains a separate phenomenon. It was founded in 1995, when a group of artists rented a ruined premises at 2 Św. Katarzyny Street. For two years, it housed a non-profit gallery and shelter for several homeless painters. Later, the owner reclaimed the townhouse and forced the artists to leave. The association moved to a former carpenter's shop at 11 Dietla Street. The gallery has exhibited works by artists such as Wojciech Ćwiertniewicz, Ignacy Czwartos, Bettina Bereś and Jacek Dłużewski.
The Jan Fejkel Gallery, in turn, is a must-see for fans of printmaking. There is no other place of its calibre in this field, and its popularity extends far beyond the administrative borders of Kraków. This is a credit to Jan Fejkiel's discernment. On Sławkowska Street, we see very different generations of artists, with sometimes surprising approaches to the printmaking tradition – from such celebrities as Jerzy Panek, Stanisław Wejman, Władysław Pluta and Krzysztof Skórczewski to Marianna Stuhr.
Jan Fejkiel Gallery, photo from the gallery archive
On Kraków's Rynek Główny only the International Print Triennial Society Centre can compete with Fejkel – literally and figuratively. The headquarters of the International Print Triennial (formerly Biennial), it presents works by artists of different generations, from Poland and abroad. The gallery is not afraid of formal experiments, and it exhibits works by Mersad Berber and Toshihiro Hamano alongside those by artists such as Jakub Woynarowski.
(NO) HOPE, or a new deal
This year's Krakers slogan – (NO) HOPE – fits well with the climate prevailing in Kraków and further afield. The pandemic, uncertainty and lifestyle changes also affect artistic contexts. What’s more, the outflow of culture animators, curators and even gallery addresses to Warsaw or foreign centres has been constant for a few years now. The most recent telling examples of this are the relocation to the capital of one of the most interesting places in Kraków, namely the gallery run by "Razem Pamoja", or the slow disappearance of CSW Wiewiórka from the former Salt Warehouse in Zabłocie. What will appear in their place in Kraków – only time will tell. Although being malcontent is sometimes in good taste in Kraków, there is still energy and ideas for new places. (Łukasz Gazur)
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Łukasz Gazur – journalist, publicist and author. Graduate in political science and art history at the Jagiellonian University, former head of the cultural section at the “Dziennik Polski” and “Gazeta Krakowska” dailies. Author of numerous articles on visual arts, theatre and dance, he has been working at TVP Kultura since 2020.
The text published in the 2/2021 issue of the “Kraków Culture” quarterly.
