Poster as the Voice of Freedom. The collection was created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of International Poster Biennale in
Poster as the Voice of Freedom. The collection was created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of International Poster Biennale in Mexico 2010
10th December 2015 - 7th February 2016
Main Gallery
Original title of the collection of posters presented in the exhibition: Voces en Libertad. Collection International de Cartel Commemorativos. Onceava Bienal International del Cartel in Mexico 2010 / Voices in Freedom. International Collection of Commeratiove Posters. International Poster Biennial in Mexico 2010.
In 2009, 111 graphic designers from five continents were invited by the organizers of the International Poster Biennale in Mexico to create posters themed “Voices in Freedom” (Voces en Libertad). They gave birth to an unusual collection of posters. The posters were exhibited for the first time in Centro Cultural Francisco Javier Clavijero in Mexico. Next exhibitions were organized in various cities such as Holon (Israel), La Paz and Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia), Bogota (Columbia), Ciudad de Querétaro (Mexico), Buenos Aires (Argentina), and Quito (Ecuador). In Europe, the first exhibition was hosted by the Cervantes Institute in Bulgaria from 11 October 2010 to 5 November 2010. In September 2010 it was presented in Ostrowskie Centum Kultury in Ostrów Wielkopolski, under the title “Głosy Wolności/ Voces en libertad”.
The exhibition under the patronage of the Icograd (The International Council of Graphic Design Associations) was organised by the National Council for Culture and the Arts, the National Institute of Anthropology and History, and Trama Visual A.C., in cooperation with over twenty other Mexican cultural and scientific institutions. The 11th edition of International Poster Biennial in Mexico took place in 2010 to commemorate the 200th anniversary/the Bicentennial of Mexican independence and the 100th anniversary/ the Centennial of Mexican Revolution.
A portfolio of 250 posters was printed as a limited edition and sent to each of 111 participants from 34 countries. The Poster Museum at Wilanów owns portfolio numbered 181.
The participants included the most prominent graphic designers from Finland, such as: Pekka Loiri, Finn Nygaard, Jukka Veistola, Kari Piippo, as well as István Orosz (Hungary), Ivan Chermayeff (USA), Michel Bouvet (France), along with the graphic designers who served as jurors in International Poster Biennale in Warsaw, such as, among others: Per Arnoldi (Denmark), Bozydar Ikonomov (Bulgaria), Marta Granados (Columbia), Felipe Taborda (Brazil), Xawier Bermudez (Mexico), Alain Le Quernec (France), UG. Sato and Takashi Akiyama (Japan). Polish graphic designers were represented by Piotr Kunce, Elżbieta Chojna, Joanna Górska i Jerzy Skakun, Karolina Podoska, and Mieczysław Górowski.
Poster as the voice of freedom defends the humanistic values, by its very nature employs the image as an universal language. It is difficult to find a single definition of freedom. The language of a poster helps us sharpen its meaning through artistic representation and so is an excellent medium for reflecting the varied shades of meaning of this important concept. Whether following Mahatma Gandhi freedom is defined as a state of mind or, as emphasized by George Bernard Shaw, as responsibility, learning about freedom is a lifelong task.