This summer, visual Kraków will be intense, somewhat nostalgic, introspective, engaged, at times escapist.
By Justyna Nowicka
The season opens with the Cracow Art Week KRAKERS (10–17 June), held under the banner “We Are Multitude”. Organised by the Wschód Sztuki Foundation, the event explores alternative Kraków by anticipating and even inspiring developments at major institutions. Dozens of exhibitions of all sizes are a serious proposition. As well as venues which are only open for a few days per year, the review also features exhibitions organised by the Art Agenda Nova gallery; this year’s I Have Dreamed of Europe was prepared by Marta Romankiv from Ukraine. The author recalls her own experience of migration and striving to join the community of Europe, as well as exploring the drive of the Ukrainian community to become a part of Europe in political, cultural and social terms (until 31 July).
Metamorphoses and explorations of new forms of expression abound during Krakow Photomonth (until 26 June), celebrating its 20th anniversary. One of the most intriguing exhibition of this year’s event is I Was Lookin’ Back… at the Nowa Huta Museum. The curators Magdalena Kownacka and Anna Olszewska have invited artists and academics to jointly examine the relationships between humankind, images and technology. “We started with Goethe and his idée fixe – that all plants have a single, physical origin containing the potential of all other plants. He named it the metaplant. This led us to morphology – a very Renaissance concept of ordering items in terms of formal similarities. And it’s this image of a metaplant which opens the exhibition,” says Kownacka. The event also explores Kraków. Wasn’t Built In a Day, shown at Bunkier Sztuki, tells the story of our city during the last two decades. As a way of expressing solidarity with Ukraine, the event also includes the collective exhibition Shoulder to Shoulder at the Szara Kamienica Gallery, featuring works by Ukrainian artists shown alongside artworks by the Czwartek collective.
In June, the Museum of Photography in Krakow launches its second temporary exhibition at its new building at Rakowicka Street. Facing Britain. British Documentary Photography from the 1960s (16 June – 18 September) features works by acclaimed artists such as David Hurn, Martin Parr, John Davies and Anna Fox alongside those by less-well-known photographers. “The images selected by Ralph Goertz – curator from Institut für Kunstdokumentation und Szenografie in Düsseldorf – showcase the originality of their creators. They have a great knack for capturing their subjects to create images encouraging us to take a critical, objective look at the depictions,” says Dominik Kuryłek, curator of the exhibition at the Museum of Photography.
Old Manor Houses (17 June 2022 – 12 February 2023) is the latest project of the Podgórze Museum, branch of the Museum of Krakow. It aims to introduce the history of four estates: Prokocim, Wola Duchacka, Bieżanów and Piaski Wielkie. “Manor houses have many different functions. The palace in Prokocim is home to a religious order, the manor in Bieżanów is a cultural centre, one of the buildings in Wola Duchacka is a public kindergarten while the other is falling into disrepair, and the manor in Piaski Wielkie is still a private property,” explains exhibition curator Melania Tutak. The exhibition has been prepared jointly with social organisations and promotors of local heritage. In the summer, the organisers are planning guided walks and tours.
Władysław Wałęga is one of the most fascinating contemporary representatives of art brut. His exhibition I Won’t Give up, I’ll Survive (24 June – 31 December) has been prepared by the Ethnographic Museum of Kraków. “His works reflect his lifetime of experiences, from a difficult childhood, trouble with the law, periods in prison, alcoholism, depression and attempts at self-immolation. He was finally able to overcome his demons, regain balance and find peace following courses in art therapy,” explains Bożena Bieńkowska, deputy director of the Ethnographic Museum.
In April, the Goethe-Institut in Kraków moved to its new home by Galeria Kazimierz where it hosts a gallery of contemporary art. The Kuns(z)t Gallery is in the tiny building of the former slaughterhouse complex. Its neon sign was designed by Mirosław Bałka, recalling the typeface used by the Nazis in 1937 on a poster announcing an exhibition of degenerate art. “The gallery’s neon sign expresses its dedication to creative freedom,” states the invitation. The exhibition held as part of the project Bodies – Unprotected is launched on 24 June. “Resistance, vulnerability, violence, determination and the will to fight are all physical. We would like to build a social archive of the physical resistance of Ukraine and to commission texts, photos and videos from people currently in Ukraine or those who have managed to escape,” say the organisers. The vernissage will accompany the official opening of the new building of the Goethe-Institut at 34 Podgórska Street. Held between 23 and 25 June, events include an urban game, entertainment for children, a broadcast of a concert by the Berlin Philharmonic and a performance by a dance troupe led by one of the most interesting contemporary German choreographers Ben J. Riepe.
Cricoteka’s main exhibition this year is Private. Kantor’s Theatrical Costumes (7 June 2022 – 12 February 2023), designed by Bogdan Renczyński, one of the actors of Cricot 2 Theatre. The costumes are a part of Cricoteka’s archives and this is the first time they are the subject of an individual exhibition. They provide an extraordinary insight into the ideas of Cricot 2 Theatre, from spectacles inspired by Witkacy, via the Theatre of Death, to Kantor’s last production Today Is My Birthday. Some items step beyond the traditional costume format.
Finally, one of the main events of the summer will be the second instalment of the cycle “4 × Modernity” at the Main Building of the National Museum in Krakow. Following last year’s well-received Polish National Styles, the curators present the latest chapter: A New Beginning. Modernism in the Second Polish Republic (29 July 2022 – 12 February 2023). “Modernist architecture and design are highly popular – and it’s no wonder since they are terrific projects, frequently serving as templates for contemporary architects,” says Prof. Andrzej Szczerski, leader of the team of curators of the exhibition. “We also want to avoid simplistic readings of Modernism by showing the diversity of the period; a dichotomy of Modernism which is creative and open on one hand, and carries the potential of catastrophe on the other.” The exhibition presents different creative expressions of modernity, such as paintings, technological inventions, architecture, fabrics, furniture and everyday objects.
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These are just some examples of the myriad exhibitions coming to Kraków this summer, forming a part of a landscape of permanent and temporary exhibition prepared by Cracovian museums, galleries and institutions every month. Let’s check, discover and explore!
Justyna Nowicka
Programme editor of Radio Kraków Culture, interview host, debate moderator, editor of radio shows.
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Don’t miss the interview with Andrzej Betlej, director of the Wawel Royal Castle, talking about this summer’s exhibitions at the treasury, chambers and apartments and presentations of artworks from the former collection of the Lanckoroński family.
The article published in the 2/2022 issue of “Kraków Culture” quarterly.
photo: Władysław Strzemiński, Still life with a cup, ca. 1928, oil, canvas, collections of the National Museum in Poznań, exhibition A New Beginning… at the Main Building of the National Museum in Krakow
