Warsaw the conversation capital of Eastern Europe

Whilst the CIA spent the 1960s secretly buying up Pollocks, Motherwells, de Koonings and Rothkos in an effort to show the Soviet Union that American artists were free and progressive, Polish artists were working in a non-existent market, under the constraints of communist quotas. It may be 26 years since the fall of Communism, but the local art market remains relatively underdevelopped, a characteristic that for the moment allows contemporary artistic creation to be forward-thinking and experimental.
 

This weekend saw the 5th edition of Warsaw Gallery Weekend take place, with 21 participating galleries, for what was by and large a celebration of local talent. Leto gallery presented the provocative works of Radek Szlaga in the artist’s former studio, now the gallery’s new space. His presentation, entitled "All the Brutes", inspired by Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness, treats themes of colonialism, psychological and physical borders and visual references in the digital era.

At Czułość in a derelict apartment on the fifth floor of a grandiose building, seven artists have produced work for the group show “The Gangway” which directly addresses the state of contemporary photography. Weronika Ławniczak’s black and white film using archived videos is a touching, delicate piece, made following the death of her father.

 

 

Galeria Foksal, the oldest gallery in Warsaw, realized the wishes of late Polish artist Tadeusz Kantor with an exhibition entitled “Rough Drafts.” The artist designed the exhibition in the 1970s especially for the gallery. It never came to fruition. Upon his death he left behind the exhibition notes with a letter which reads “If someone considers that it would be worth accomplishing…. Then looking through this material will suffice.”

 

Foksal claims to be “not against commerciality itself but promotes the preservation of space not embroiled in marketmechanisms.” Whilst most of the galleries here are nonetheless trying to make some money for themselves and their artists, the distinction between commercial gallery and institution is much less pronounced than in other developed art markets. “Let’s allow Vienna (where many of WGW’s galleries are also participating in Vienna Contemporary) to remain the market capital of the region,” says Jacek Sosnowski, director of Propaganda gallery and one of the organizers of the event, “here in Warsaw we’ll be the capital for discussion and experimentation.”

 

Sosnowski’s exhibition at Propaganda features the work of Polish artist collective Marek Kijewski and Malgorzata Malinowska. Lego block sculptures and mosaics fill the space with titles such as Bodyguard of your Juices. “This exhibition represents everything that is lacking in Polish art today” says Sonowski.
 

 

For the time being most of Warsaw’s galleries are run and frequented by locals, but the city holds huge prospects for first-time gallery owners. Kasia Michalski is half Polish, but was living in New York when she decided that she wanted to open her own gallery. From an initial desire to start her gallery in the Big Apple, she realized the market was saturated, “but here in Warsaw, as a gallery you can really make a difference,” she says.

 

Warsaw is an emerging market with an impressive maturity, helped by several high-quality institutions and a synergy between the local galleries. It remains to be seen however, how the city will navigate the next stage of development. One local collector explained that most Polish collectors collect Polish artists, and that for the time being collecting is an affordable pursuit. “Do I want to see these artists succeed internationally?” he asked, “of course. But then they leave my price range.” 

Will Poland globalize? Łukasz Gorczyca, director of Raster gallery admits that for Polish galleries, at the moment international recognition only serves to further validate them on home turf.  “We aren’t interested in what happens abroad, we only export” says Gorczyca, “but that is because we don’t understand, our art education is still underdeveloped.” But Warsaw Gallery Weekend, such a well-orchestrated event, displays a desire to professionalize.  “We are pushing galleries to improve every year,” concludes Sosnowski.