Starting 7 November 2024, the exhibition “Change To Come” will be on view at the Kunsthalle im Lipsiusbau in Dresden. The exhibition focuses on the theme of engagement present in Polish art. Its curator is Magdalena Komornicka. This is the first exhibition of its kind devoted to Polish art to be presented in Germany.
“Change To Come” – A Story about Engaged Art
The exhibition “Change To Come” explores the phenomenon of engaged art. Engagement not only refers to the personal, active involvement of artists in creating art but also impacts the methodologies used to create and interpret the work itself. The artists featured in this exhibition are situated within diverse narratives – both historical and contemporary – allowing viewers to trace a range of approaches that oscillate between testimony and active protest against social injustice.
The Kunsthalle im Lipsiusbau will showcase works by over thirty artists who live and work in Poland and abroad, spanning creations from the past 80 years. The exhibition will feature works by renowned artists like Andrzej Wróblewski, Marian Bogusz, and Maria Jarema, alongside pieces by contemporary artists. Visitors to Kunsthalle will also encounter the works of Marek Sobczyk and Włodzimierz Pawlak, created during Poland’s martial law period, as well as art from the “provocative” trend of 1990s critical art, including pieces by Katarzyna Kozyra.
Marian Bogusz, The Joy of New Constructions, 1948, oil on canvas, Zachęta – National Gallery of Art, Warsaw
There will also be artists who use irony and sharp sense of humour, such as Oskar Dawicki and members of the Ładnie Group, which functioned in the early 2000s: Wilhelm Sasnal, Marcin Maciejowski, and Rafał Bujnowski. The exhibition will also provide an opportunity to explore the performative and activist practices of a younger generation of male and female artists living or working in Poland, including, among others, Mikolaj Sobczak, Malgorzata Mirga-Tas, Ala Savashevich, Joanna Piotrowska, Veronika Zalewska, Yulia Krivich, Marta Romankiv or the anonymous “Przybyszki” collective.
Marcin Maciejowski, Young people do not want to study or work, 2000, oil on canvas, Collection of the ING Polish Art Foundation, Warsaw
Polish Contemporary Art in the Historical Space of the Kunsthalle im Lipsiusbau and Beyond
The exhibition concept was developed in 2023 at the invitation of Marion Ackermann, General Director of Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden. It was conceived by Hanna Wróblewska in collaboration with Magdalena Komornicka – the curator.
The exhibition “Change To Come” will also enter the urban space. An installation by Marek Sobczyk will be erected between the Kunsthalle im Lipsiusbau building and the Albertinum on Georg Treu Square. This will be another version of the already iconic “Straight Rainbow”, which may be remembered by the public as standing in front of the Zachęta National Gallery of Art building in Warsaw, for several years animating the space of the Małachowski Square. The exposition will be accompanied by a performative programme.
Exhibition poster: Zofka Kofta, based on the work of Joanna Piotrowska, Untitled (Self-Defense), 2014, gelatin silver print, courtesy of the artist and Phillida Reid Gallery, London.
- Venue: kunsthalle im Lipsiusbau, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden;
- Vernissage: 6.11.2024, 6:30 pm.;
- Duration of exhibition: 7.11.2024–16.03.2025;
- Curator: Magdalena Komornicka;
- Curatorial cooperation on the part of Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden: Maria Isserlis;
- Partners: Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Zachęta National Gallery of Art, Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation;
- For more information, please visit the website of Kunsthalle im Lipsiusbau.
The Adam Mickiewicz Institute recommends visiting the exhibition!