New-Age Graphic Poster Art From Poland Is Now On Display In Mumbai

Earlier housed in New Delhi, the colorful, witty and smart designs of Poland have now come to the city of Mumbai. ‘Eye on Poland. New Graphic Art from Poland’ is an exhibition that was only possible after four years worth of curation done by Magdalena Frankowska and Artur Frankowski. To celebrate the cutting edge graphic art by contemporary Polish designers, about 30 artists and studios were invited to make their share of contribution.

“The idea behind the exhibition is to show the audience a wide range of styles, attitudes and design strategies reflecting the richness of the current Polish graphic design scene. The works selected are primarily posters, books, exhibition catalogues and album covers. These varying forms, each serving a different function, can be transformed by an outstanding designer from everyday objects into artistic statements,” explain the curators.

EOP_books

Although, these high quality forms are not a product of modernity but have surged from the akready-existing tradition of poster art in Poland. ‘The Polish Poster School’ (mid 50’s till late 60’s) consisted of artists like Henryk Tomaszewski, Roman Cieślewicz, Jan Lenica and Waldemar Świerzy, which later grew when cities like Krakow began populating with poets, artists and thinkers. This kicked off the golden era of poster art that was succeeded by the new age of poster artists, who did not resist experimenting with colors and techniques. With this new age, the strict difference between poster design and graphic design faded and artists became much more versatile.
Frankowska and Frankowski have put this new age together, piece by piece. None of the exhibits in the museum are older than four years and they all belong to designers who have created their art with vector graphics, photography, collage, painting, freehand drawing or even a combination of all these methods. The curators explain that the historicity is not the only reason for the growing recognition of this form but it can also be attributed to the recent dynamic development of arts and culture in Poland.
They add, “We credit particularly to the emergence of new cultural institutions and the development of the existing ones. Another important and fast-growing phenomenon is independent publishing. The last few years have seen many new high-level publications, carefully designed and self-produced by independent publishers.”
It is clear that the curators have not only brought together these designs to show the evolution of poster art culture in Poland but also to open a narrative to Poland’s history and identity to a foreign audience. This definitely makes up for an exhibition worth a visit and most definitely since it lasts just for a month more. Scroll down to get a glimpse of what to expect.

Duration of the exhibition: 17th June – 31st July, 2016

Where: The Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum, Veer Mata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan (Rani Baug), 91/A, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Road, Byculla East, Mumbai 400027