2024-04-25
The censorship imposed on artists by the communist government was meant to suppress freedom and independence. Instead, it demanded that art should be created according to socialist-realist principles, building a narrative favorable to the government. Despite the political pressure, many artists openly opposed such practices, manifesting their different views in various ways. The latest exhibition at the Center for Contemporary Art in Warsaw, "Uncensored. Polish Independent Art of the 1980s" is a presentation of art boycotting the communist regime. Due to the protest of a number of artists whose works were to be included in the exhibition, the opening was delayed for several weeks.
The opening, scheduled for the middle of March 2022, has been postponed to April 8, according to the Centre for Contemporary Art, "for organizational reasons". The "organizational reasons" are the protest of over a dozen artists who did not agree to have their works included in the exhibition. According to the artists, the curator, Tadeusz Boruta, did not ask them about using their works. The artists, outraged by the attitude of Piotr Bernatowicz, who was appointed director of the Center for Contemporary Art by the Minister of Culture Piotr Gliński from the Law and Justice party, have also stressed that they do not want to cooperate with a place associated with the current ruling party.
Józef Robakowski, Jan Dobkowski and Andrzej Bielawski are among the artists who have issued the first statement against the use of their works. Despite the situation, which Robakowski described as "embarrassing", no one responsible for the exhibition has contacted the artist and his name still appears in the exhibition catalog. Other protesting artists included five members of Luxus, one of the most important art groups of the 1980s in Poland, and Marek Sobczyk, active in the Gruppa art formation.
The awkward situation in which the artists do not agree to have their works used in the exhibition is, apart from a personal conflict, also a legal issue. According to some artists' contracts with the Centre for Contemporary Art, the institution has the right to exhibit their works if the property rights have been transferred to it. This is also possible when the object is part of a museum collection, and the institution holds the appropriate license; in this case the artwork becomes a cultural asset that can be presented to the public regardless of the author's consent. It is currently unknown what status the protesting artists' works have. Therefore, the atmosphere surrounding the exhibition "Uncensored. Polish Independent Art of the 80's" remains tense.