2025-10-09
Do we need art in public spaces? Many of us may nod our heads, and yet the news that a artpiece has been installed in Kielce – which is actually just a mirror mounted in the pavement – costing tens of thousands of zlotys may make us question our enthusiasm.
Marek Cecuła's installation, titled ‘Niebo Kielc’ ('The Sky of Kielce'), provoked angry reactions that the local art community had not faced in a long time. Just read the comments on the social media of the Kielce Bureau of Artistic Exhibitions (BWA) or visit the websites of local media. ‘I don't know anyone who would spend their own money – over 85,000 zlotys– to install a two-by-two-metre mirror in the pavement,’ said Kielce politician Jarosław Karyś on eM Radio Kielce.
Last week, the installation was ceremoniously unveiled on the square in front of the Kielce cathedral. Its author is Marek Cecuła, a native of Częstochowa from a Kielce family, who in the past worked as dean of the Ceramics Department at Parsons School of Design in New York and as a professor in London and Bergen. In the 1990s, he reconnected with artistic institutions in the Świętokrzyskie region, including those in Kielce and Ćmielów.
‘The Sky of Kielce’ is a site-specific installation that complements the nearby Baroque cathedral. It is an attempt to integrate contemporary art into a historical space without disturbing its landscape. The mirror, reflecting its surroundings, stimulates the curiosity of passers-by, encouraging them to stop, look at the square from a different perspective or simply take a selfie. The installation has fulfilled its purpose in terms of arousing public interest, primarily due to its large cost.
Who can afford to invest in art in the face of the financial problems that the city is facing?
As explained by the Kielce BWA, ‘Niebo Kielc’ was co-financed by a grant from the Centre of Polish Sculpture in Orońsko. Out of over 120 candidates from across the country, 25 projects qualified for the grant. Orońsko contributed 77,800 zlotys, to which the BWA added 9,000 zlotys. It is worth noting that the subsidy was a condition of participation. Most of the money was allocated to technical and organisational activities – like payment for the execution, transport, installation and security of the object.
This was not the only project in Kielce that has received funding from the Sculpture Centre. The programme was not only about ensuring that new works of art appeared in public spaces, but also about the conservation of existing ones. In 2024, thanks to the grant money, the city began the conservation of numerous deteriorating outdoor sculptures from the 1960s and 1970s, which were a reminder of the artistic plein-airs that took place there.
Although this type of artistic heritage from the Polish People's Republic is often labelled as difficult, outdoor sculptures are an integral part of the centre of Kielce and remind passers-by of the long-standing tradition of stonemasonry and sculpture in the region.
The question remains – are sculptures from the communist era or Cecuła's two-metre mirror of any use to anyone? As BWA Kielce wrote in its strategy for the coming years, ‘breaking down barriers in the perception of contemporary art and dispelling the fear of it’ has been chosen as one of its main missions.
According to the plan published on the branch's website, the Kielce team wants to develop its own image against the backdrop of similar Polish institutions, based on the history of the region and its crucial geological context. On this basis, its programme, which until now has been based mainly on art surveys, will be modernised, which would contribute to the revitalisation of the local art scene and raise the prestige of Kielce as a cultural centre.
Importantly, BWA Kielce's new strategy involves creating a space for discussion that would engage the local community. The media hype surrounding ‘Niebo Kielc’ proved to be a good opportunity to organise such a panel – the institution announced that an open discussion on the role of this installation in the city would take place on 14 October.