Ran, Akira Kurosawa, by Andrzej Pagowski. Courtesy of O Gallery
Poster art has a spirit of permanence in what is otherwise a disposable culture, says Grace Astari, 23-year-old co-curator of the Polish Poster Art exhibition at the O Gallery in South Jakarta.
“It has a higher connective purpose, transient and unhindered by time.”
Polish poster art has taken to the streets of Jakarta, splashing bold, quirky and intense graphic design across the gallery halls.
Opened by the first secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Indonesia, Maria Lukaszuk, the exhibition will run until Jan. 6, 2010.
“Bringing Polish poster art to Jakarta is an important step in bridging the gap between Western and Eastern cultures,” she said.
An graphic design-focused art form that flourished post-WWII and during the Cold War period in Cracow, Poland, poster art advertised film and other cultural events such as opera, theater and circuses.
Most of the artwork was commissioned by Poland’s communist government and its golden era ended with the government’s fall 20 years ago.
According to Astari, some posters helped push the government’s agenda, advertising events such as party congresses and ceremonies, and public events such as Labor Day.
One of the most renowned propaganda poster was one representing Lenin, by leading artist Franciszek Starowieyski.
That stated, she said, what made the art form interesting was the freedom it exercised within the constraints of communism.
“Even though poster art was controlled by the government, the artists had a large license of expression and had the opportunity to push boundaries within the confines of the communist agenda,” she said.
The Cold War and the eventual collapse of communism in Poland inspired the movement, known as the Polish School of Poster, with its heyday lasting from around 1945 until 1965.
During this period, the poster, with the proposed function as an ordinary advertisement, worked at a deeper level.
“Posters had autonomous value; they lived beyond the events they announced and resounded deep psychological, social and political impulses, moods and metaphors.
“They are bound with creativity and expression.”
Professor Kung, a Polish poster expert, concurred.
“They are unique, fresh, colorful and simple,” Professor Kung said, who worked with the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo.
“When I saw the poster of Polish film director Andrzej Wajda’s Ashes and Diamond, some 50 years ago, a simple layout of colored alphabet letters, I was excited by its refreshing yet chic graphics.”
Kultura Zydowska w Plakacie Polskim Kolekcja k. Dydo by Mieczystaw Gorowski. Courtesy of O Gallery
Professor Kung said he loved Polish poster art for its ability to appeal to everyone.
“These posters are the ‘art of the street’, and appeal to the masses,” he said.
This is largely because of its modern, graphic form and the rise of industrialization, enabling mass production. But also because of the messages communicated.
Many of the posters on exhibition in Jakarta are rocked with meaning, holding personal, expressionist and even absurd qualities.
“This art is sophisticated and even humorous. It is contemporary and advanced.”
Even though the Polish School of Poster advertised public events, it frequently parodied aspects of society.
“Most Polish posters have a highly psychological function,” Astari said. “The vitality and creative verve they have are, so far, unmatched. They played a significant role in social commentary.”
Astari said that the surreal and dark qualities of the posters reflected the post-WWII era where destruction and loss of identity formed a large part of the social psyche.
She also said that the posters’ highly emotional element was reflective of the need to reconnect with people in a time of alienation and disillusion.
But what she admires most about Polish poster art is its timelessness.
“It is rare to find something that can produce the same effect throughout time, especially because poster art is a disposable medium.”
At the forefront of the Polish School of Poster is graphic artist master Henryk Tomaszewski, known for his 1980 Konkurs Chopinowski Chopin Piano Competition and 1987 theater Kordian Słowacki J. posters, both featuring at the exhibition.
Other poster artists who have left strong legacies are Waldemar Swierzy, Mieczystaw Gorowski, Roman Kalarus and Jan Lenica, who also have their art displayed at the gallery.
Posters such as the haunting disfigured head, titled Malarstwo w Plakacie, by Mieczystaw Gorowski, the colorful Ubu Krol czyli Polacy, Alfred Jarry, by Roman Kalarus, and a poster of jazz legend Ray Charles named Jazz Greats are among the 60 posters selected for exhibition, whittled down from 200.
“This art challenges expectations and evokes strained, taut emotion, whether it be humor or sadness, and that is immensely moving,” Astari conjectured.
Professor Kung believes that while the form is little known in Asia, it holds a strong place in the world of art.
“It is high time for it to inspire young graphic artists,” he said. “They can learn everything from simplicity to the freedom of pictorial expression, and how to use subtle humor with a touch of elegance.
“Giving great impetus to young artists in Eastern Europe and Japan after WWII ended, it is important in the history of graphic art.”
Polish Poster Exhibition
Dec. 11 to Jan. 6
O House Gallery
Jl. Widya Chandra 39
Jakarta
021 5292 0648.
