Art and politics is the most turbulent pairing in the history of culture. For some, it is a betrayal of disinterested aesthetic ideals. Others, on the other hand, hold out hope for social change championed by the artist. In art, as in life, the truth lies in the middle. The most interesting artists shied away from political involvement. However, they did not forget the world around them. The artist's genius is expressed in his brilliant commentary on reality — both private and public.
Edward Dwurnik's series of paintings entitled Robotnicy / Workers consists of 260 works created between 1975 and 1991. Travestying the political imagination of the communist Poland, the artist documented the everyday reality of human life faced with the oppressive apparatus of power. Martial law, the first years of Solidarność, state repression, but also the political appetite of the Church — nothing has been left silent here. In this painterly diary, Dwurnik takes no sides, but reveals collective existence in all its shades. Available at DESA Modern galleries, the album Edward Dwurnik. Workers is a masterful monograph of this extraordinary series, accompanied by an excellent critical discussion.
The next two DESA Modern artists, Jarosław Modzelewski and Paweł Kowalewski, are both painters who originated from the famous Gruppa. This was an unprogrammed artistic formation that made history in the Polish culture of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Born on the wave of enthusiasm of the young Solidarność movement, this initiative introduced daring colours into the drab horizon of People's Poland from 1982. Armed with the absurd and the grotesque, Gruppa's artists decided to confront the surrounding reality. The history of this artistic phenomenon is documented in a collector's album, published by the Jerke Art Foundation. Carefully designed reproductions and photographs are enriched with excellent critical texts.
You can find these unique book editions and original incographs of the most outstanding Polish artists both in the stationary galleries and in the DESA Modern online shop.
