Warszawa, 7 December 2009 – 31 January 2010




The exhibition is aimed at the reflection on local cultures’ and national identity representations in graphic design. It will examine the fin de siècle pursue for the national style as well as the “folksiness” of People’s Republic under the name of Cepelia. It will also reflect on the attempts to explore local identity in the globalized world along with the ironical commentary to the contemporary official discourse which manipulates on folk elements for particular benefits.


Folk and popular elements have long been absorbed by mass culture, becoming a source of inspiration for visual art, for example. Some people value such borrowings for popularising elements of folk culture among a wide audience, while others see them as proof of commercialisation and simplification of cultural heritage.

This is an exposition filled with optimism and colour. Using examples of posters by leading Polish artists, it shows the effects of invoking folk culture in Polish commercial design. Combining simplicity with artistic sophistication, the posters on display present contemporary issues seen from the angle of folk motifs as they become part of the mass art formula.

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The Poster Museum in Wilanów
Muzeum Plakatu w Wilanowie
St. Kostki Potockiego 10/16
02-958 Warszawa, Poland
tel (48) 22 842 48 tel/fax (48) 22 842 26 06
www.postermuseum.pl