The Tip of a Paper Tower of Babel. International Poster Biennale in Warsaw 1966–2014

The Tip of a Paper Tower of Babel. International Poster Biennale in Warsaw 1966–2014

Salon Akademii Gallery | Academy of Fine Arts Warsaw

Krakowskie Przedmieście 5 (entrance form Traugutta St.)

13 June – 31 July 2016

Curator: Zdzisław Schubert

The historical exhibition of the 25th International Poster Biennale in Warsaw will be opened from Monday, 13th of June 2016. The title of the exhibition refers to an article by Jan Lenica, winner of the Gold Medal at the first IPB in 1966, entitled 'A Paper Tower of Babel' and published in 'Projekt' magazine in 1978. The author, who was just as skilled with a pen as he was with a brush, shared his thoughts on the meetings of the Jury of the seventh IPB. Posters from around the globe featured at the Biennale exhibitions over the last 50 years can indeed bring associations of Babel to mind, as they talk to people using many languages and various cultural codes in their visual language.

Over half a century the IPB has collected over ten thousand posters, now stored at the Poster Museum at Wilanów, founded in 1968. More than 600 of them received awards and distinctions. We are only able to present a small part of that collection in this exhibition – 101 works by 86 authors and co-authors. Hence the word “tip” in the title. The rest of the paper Tower of Babel will have to remain hidden in the Museum’s stores. The selection of 300 posters by 204 authors and co-authors, presented in the catalogue, extends the historical perspective of the Biennale but is far from exhausting the topic.

Salon Akademii Gallery | Academy of Fine Arts Warsaw

Krakowskie Przedmieście 5 (entrance form Traugutta St.)

Opening hours: 
Monday – Friday: 12 – 6 pm
salonakademii.asp.waw.pl

Organisers: The Poster Museum at Wilanów – Division of the National Museum in Warsaw, Salon Akademii Gallery; Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw.

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