Within the shadow cast by big brother
Within the shadow cast by big brother
Posters from Czecho-Slovak country, Hungary and Romania with Polish posters in the background, treated as a “fundamental units of measure”.
1st October 2014 - 18th January 2015
Well, the exhibition “Within the shadow cast by big brother…”, which will inaugurate this year’s autumnal season in the Poster Museum in Wilanów, has been intent as yet another step to familiarize Polish audience with our rich collection of foreign posters – the collection, which for many years has been ignored and lived anonymous existence in the archives and repositories. The displayed part of the collection shows particular potential to unveil a very delicate situation ruling the world of art, i.e. the world of relative values. The title of the exhibition is somehow ironic as it links the “big brother thing” with Polish poster. Anyway, this bit of irony towards Polish achievements within the field gives us a chance to take a second look at the successes of other poster-designers from neighbouring countries of Central Europe. Their works presented as if “against” the background of Polish “units of metre” (which, treated somehow like a “metre of Sevres”, conquered not only our own imagination, but also of the imagination of vast majority of world audience), will be given the second chance to attract our eyes and stay in our minds for a little longer. Similarly to western viewers, who discovered in the last few years masterpieces of creativity of Czech, Slovak, Hungarian and Romanian poster artists, also we should freshen up our impressions stimulated by this art and verify our opinions about it; even if only to notice that history of poster-designing in those countries had equally long and interesting traditions to ours.
Presented set of works will consist of some 150 units. The material will be thematically divided into several groups. They will represent “cultural poster” (announcements of theatre and music performances, films, concerts of music as well as other important events linked with culture), “political genre” and “pure advertising”. Nearly all works were created and printed within the period between 1945 and early 90s of 20th century (the letter date marking the first years after democratic transformation in Central Europe).
Jacek Szelegejd/ Exhibition Curator
