Local traits and universalism. Zachęta in Lublin and other cities

Piotr Kosiewski

In 2008 it is four years since the establishment of the “Znaki czasu” (Signs of the time) program by the Ministry of Culture. It was one of the major ideas of Waldemar Dąbrowski who was the head of the ministry at that time. He planned the creation of regional collections that would become the germ of future institutions dealing with the latest art. One of them was created in Lublin.

Perhaps it is still too early to attempt to provide any general summary, or dare to express any principled judgements. However, these last couple of years of activity of regional Zachęta galleries allow one to make the first cross comparisons or initial assessment of the created collections. The more so, that some decisions have been made regarding locations of future headquarters, and architectural competitions have already been organised, and in Torun a new building has already been put into operation! What is more, at subsequent exhibitions we may look at works which have already been purchased, and a website presenting collections of all Zachęta galleries is already up and running.

Extensive network of Zachęta galleries

In establishing the “Znaki czasu” program, the creators referred to the tradition of the 19th century. Towarzystwo Zachęty Sztuk Pięknych [Association for the Promotion of Fine Arts]; hence its popular and abbreviated name, “Zachęta”. However, the idea of creating regional fine art collections in the first place referred to the French Fonds Regional d'Art Contemporain (FRAC) established in 1983, which for years have successfully assembled its own very interesting collections.

Regional “Zachęta” galleries were to be based on local environments, leaving the exact specification of the nature of the collection and relations with branches already existing in the area with the initiators (gifts received by each of the newly established Zachęta galleries from the ministry were to serve only as a hint, however it was not always reflected in purchases made at a later time). The specific “canon” of names repeated in each centre was no longer imposed; instead, the principle of “mutual completion” of collections was adopted; thus the collections were to form the national reserve of contemporary art.

What is more, particular Zachęta galleries were established using different models. Many centres, as was the case with Lublin, appointed new, autonomous associations, but, for instance, Zachęta in Silesia was established attached to the Foundation for the Silesia region, and Zachęta in Podlasie has been associated with the Arsenal Gallery for this region. Some centres consider the creation of Centres of Contemporary Art, others wish to support the existing museum branches, as is the case, for instance, in Opole.

One may also notice considerable differences between particular Zachęta galleries when comparing the assembled collections. Of course, there are also common elements, such as paying particular attention to those works of art created after 1989 (even in the case of artists with considerably longer experience). In some cases, this was made a rule (as in the case of Zachęta in Małopolska), but such a choice is determined by the availability (and price) of works on the market. It is exceptional to purchase contemporary art classics.

Some Zachęta galleries have had an ambition to create a representative review of the major trends in the Polish art in the last few decades. The collection created in Szczecin was composed of the works of Natalia LL and Izabela Gustowska, Jarosław Modzelewski and Grzegorz Klaman as well as Bogna Burska, Maciej Kurak and many others. In the collection created in Krakow, the dividing line was the mid 1990’s and among the purchased works we can find works of the Azorro group, works by Marta Deskur, Grzegorz Sztwiernia, former members of Grupa Ładnie, Leon Tarasewicz and Jakub Julian Ziółkowski. The collection created in Białystok with works by Paweł Althamer, Małgorzata Jabłońska, Zbigniew Libera, Wilhelm Sasnal, Monika Sosnowska, Artur Żmijewski and others looks equally impressive. However, Zachęta in Podlasie treats its collections as a complement of art collections pertaining to the last two decades, created by the local Galeria Arsenał (currently, probably the best collection in Poland). A similar principle was adopted in the initial period of operation by Zachęta in Wielkopolska which complemented the collection of the National Museum in Poznan with deposits, and the purchased works especially included works of prominent artists of the second half of 20th century. Purchased works included sculptures and drawings of Alina Szapocznikow (including “Iluminowana” [The Illuminated]), paintings by Andrzej Wróblewski and Stanisław Kubicki and a collection of collage compositions by Roman Cieślewicz. At a later time however, the profile of activity was changed and focused on the presence of art in public space. It was thanks to the activity of Zachęta in this region that works such as “Life is a story” by Izabela Gustowska and “Lotus Eaters” by Piotr Kurka were exhibited at Ławica airport in Poznań, and “Agora” by Magdalena Abakanowicz – 106 cast-iron figures – in Grant Park in Chicago.

By contrast, in some cities – such as Kielce or Opole – the main focus was the collection of local art. However, focusing on one’s own region does not necessarily have to mean the emergence of collections which are interesting only for the local environment. Silesian Zachęta paid special attention to artists connected with this region. The purchased works included works by Urszula Broll and a brilliant collection of photographs by Zofia Rydet, as well as output of Zuzanna Janin, Konrad Kuzyszyn, Aleksandra Polisiewicz and Robert Rumas.

Within one’s own tradition

And how does Lublin compare with the other centres? The local Association for the Promotion of Fine Arts opened its doors on September 18, 2005. The plans are indeed ambitious, and they especially include the establishment of an Interdisciplinary Centre for Modernity - the Museum of Modern Art in Lublin within the next couple of years. Also, from the onset, Zachęta in Lublin began to form its own collection. Within a few years, a fairly extensive collection has been assembled . Works created in the last two decades prevail in the collection; however, they are not sufficiently representative to give a complete picture of Polish art after 1989. They do not include important debuts from the 1990’s: for instance representatives of the critical art which so strongly prevailed in the first decade of the Third Polish Republic. They also lack the fashionable and celebrated artists (who most often indeed deserve their praises) who made their first artistic steps in the new century, perhaps with the exception of Dominik Lejman. What should be stressed very strongly, however, is that this was a conscious choice of the founders of the Lublin Zachęta.

The key to the creation of the collection is a local community, here understood in a somewhat innovative way. The thing is not about assembling a collection of artists creating their work in the Lublin Province but about inscribing the emerging collections into the tradition outlined by artists and institutions functioning in Lublin in the last fifty years (with particular emphasis put on those which emerged most recently). And so the works of artists associated with Galeria Labirynt functioning in the 1970’s, with BWA (Bureau of Artistic Exhibitions) as well as with more recently founded institutions such as Galeria Biała, Galeria Kont or Ośrodek Sztuki Performance (Performance Art Centre) were purchased. The activity of all the aforementioned galleries has so far not been reflected in public collections, which anyway – comprising another, separate problem – contain scarce examples of contemporary art and which for many years have been created according to, euphemistically speaking, quite peculiar criteria. 

The choice made at the very beginning, determined the character of the entire collection. However, if speaking about treating the tradition as an exhibit, there is no way we could bring this process down to mere attempts to document the past; it is more about verifying or checking to what extent experiences of the last couple of decades are significant and valid for the output emerging nowadays. The future museum is supposed to be the place in which art "shall happen" and not just “be stored”.

As Małgorzata Kitowska-Łysiak, one of the co-founders of Zachęta, writes – first purchases have already “delimited two key perspectives according to which the works have been collected: the first – MATTER (IN) SPACE – covers the reflection, originated in modernism, over the autonomy of a painting, its status, matter and existence in space; the second – THE ART OF IDEAS – IDEAS OF ART – refers to the avant-garde traditions and the socially engaged art associated therewith, executed mainly in conceptual poetics.”  

Key words: “tradition”, “innovation” and “Lublin-ness” understood as places (or one of the places) at which the phenomena are disclosed in public, seem to govern the emerging collection. Therefore, the presence in the collection of two works by Włodzimierz Borowski, a member of Grupa Zamek comprising one of the major phenomena in Polish art after 1956, gains immense significance. A very effective painting “Oko proroka” [The Eye of the Prophet], 1957, comes from the period in which he was involved in the activities of Grupa Zamek. It is still close to matter painting but one can already notice some signs of “Artony”, non-sculptures and non-paintings but art objects whose creation was the focus of Borowski’s artistic activity in the following years. Equally important, however, is the second work found in these collections: “Uczulanie na kolor” [Sensitizing to colour], a black and white photograph from VIII Pokaz synkretyczny in 1968 – documenting the event in which the artist damaged his own photographs using an electric drill. These two works seem to provide firm “patronage” for the two abovementioned lines which specify the character of the collection.

Validity of the art of painting and heritage of the new avant-garde

Reflection on the art of painting, its status and possibilities it has nowadays, on what it is today, is demonstrated very well by the works already collected in Zachęta: “Biały obraz” [White painting], 2004-2005, by Mikołaj Smoczyński – a smooth plane bringing to mind the whiteness of marble; neutral, void of any references to the world, “Pożar Londynu według Swedenborga” [Fire of London by Swedenborg] by Sławomir Marzec, 2003 – at first sight painted in different shades of grey but in fact sparkling with a multitude of colours, recalling the power of illusion, or the whole room constructed by Leon Tarasewicz in 2005 (no title) composed of columns covered with yellow, red and blue stripes, additionally multiplied by mirrors hung on the walls (originally exhibited in Galeria Biała). These works depart greatly from the traditional ideas of a painting as canvass covered with pigment, but at the same time they point to the vitality and potential which still lie in this type of art.

The collection also included works created by representatives of the younger generation. "Maraton Nowojorski" [New York City Marathon] by Dominik Lejman, 2003, one of his projected video frescos in which the artist transformed the record of the running crowd into a nearly abstract image. On the other hand, in "Percipere" (2005) Eliza Galey has combined an image with video projection - a recording in which she utters names of colours and concepts referring to the sensory sensation of the world. The latest purchases of Zachęta are also worth mentioning. Among them, we can find "Ciemna Dolina" [Dark Valley] by Tomasz Tatarczyk, 2007, a work which uses traditional means of expression in painting, but also a work by Tomasz Ciecierski which provides a deeply (auto)ironic look at the tradition of this type of art. It is a pile of canvass stretchers left on the floor (no title, 1992), damaged copies, wasted materials. The result – particular canvas is regarded by the artist only as material, part of the larger whole, it turns into a spatial object.

Second line in the collection is devoted to experiences of the Polish new avant-garde artists, to the search for conceptualism, action and performance art. It is these works that endow the collection of Zachęta in Lublin with a specific character, which distinguishes it from other centres. Paying attention to these particular phenomena is significant as in recent years a lot of focus has been placed on the output of Polish avant-garde artists.

Works of the leading artists who for many years have been associated with Galeria Labirynt and later with BWA, occupy a special position in the collection. They include "Walec osądu" [Barrel of Judgement] by Jerzy Bereś, 1994, an item associated with the artistic campaign and itself comprising a work of art, “Gesty” [Gestures], 2002, by Jan Świdziński, the developer of assumptions of contextual art, or “Talerzowanie” [Plate-marking] (1971-1991) by Zbigniew Warpechowski – a series of items - square coffer chests with plates on them, with inscribed ironic expressions: "Na zamówienie" (Custom-made), "Bez przyszłości" (No prospects), "Samolubny" (Selfish), etc.

A collection of films by Józef Robakowski makes a special contribution to the collection. Zachęta’s collections were enlarged by purchased works such as "Rynek" [The market], 1970, the first work done under Warsztat Formy Filmowej in Lodz, and "Test I", 1971, made without any use of a movie camera. The collection also covered the following: "Widok z mojego okna" [The view from my window], a unique film diary made between 1978-1999 and "Sztuka to potęga!" [Art is power!] – a distorted recording of a television broadcast (1985/1986) revealing the mechanics of political manipulation in a country with a totalitarian regime. The artist’s latest work has been purchased as well: "Uwaga: Światło!" [Caution: Light!], 2004, comprising an attempt at realizing the assumptions of a structural movie.

The presence of female artists in the collection should be emphasized at this point. It includes: "Ultima Thule", a very effective work by Natalia LL coming from the series: "Volucres Coeli" (2004), "Ścierki Wizytek" [Floor cloths from the monastery], 1988, by Teresa Murak and "Wszystko się zbiega w czasie i przestrzeni, aby się rozproszyć, aby się zbiec, aby się rozproszyć, no i tak dalej III" [Everything converges in time and space in order to disperse and to converge again and to disperse and so on III] by Zofia Kulik, 1992, one of three of her decorative panels covered with ornaments through which she traces meanings of gestures repeated for centuries (the artist herself, together with Przemysław Kwiek – as a KwieKulik tandem – visited Lublin a number of times in the 1970’s and 1980’s).
 
The collection of "classics" of Polish avant-garde art has recently been complemented by works of Stanisław Dróżdż, Koji Kamoji and Jarosław Kozłowski. The collection is soon planned to be enriched by other performance art authors. Beside the work by Zbigniew Kwiatkowski "Przelewanie wina" [Wine pouring], 1992, we will see works by Janusz Bałdyga, Zygmunt Piotrowski and Zbigniew Warpechowski featuring appearances of Tomasz Stańko and Ewa Zarzycka (Zachęta will act as their co-producer).

Subsequent purchases have been gradually meeting particular interests of Lublin institutions. Still, there remains a question regarding the presence of phenomena important in view of traditions of Lublin institutions in this collection, about approaches which were manifested in this very region and which already occupy a significant position in Polish art created most recently. I do not really mean here rather sporadic events such as the exhibition of the output of Gruppa members in 1983, although "Las, góra, a nad górą chmura, a nad chmurą dziura" [The forest, the mountain, cloud over the mountain and a hole over the cloud] exhibited in BWA rooms was one of major events of that time, breaking with the convention of the official art versus independent art (like the entire artistic activity of this Lublin gallery conducted in the 1980’s anyway). But let me give two names: Zbigniew Libera, and Andrzej Partum, deceased in 2002, not because Lublin was present in their artistic biographies but because of the significance of their output at present (I believe the first name needs no explanation, and the activity of the second artist is today remembered and increasingly appreciated, which may be confirmed by the exhibition "Dowcip i władza sądzenia (asteizm w Polsce)" [Humour and power of judging (asteism in Poland)]. What is more, the creators of the collection have, unfortunately, failed to make Zachęta more international in character and use the potential resulting from the geographical location of the town, which was heralded by a very interesting exhibition “Terytoria” [Territories] in 2006, presenting the output of Belarusian, Polish and Ukrainian artists.
 
The collection that emerged focused on the so far somewhat dispersed phenomena, artists which despite the approximation of the adopted approaches, did not exhibit their works in the same rooms too often. One more question remains: to what extent will the adopted idea be open to new phenomena and the next generations of artists, and to what extent will it become a closed, historic collection over time? However, for now, it looks as though an interesting place will be created.