The subject of uncovering oneself in a liquid reality to callback the acquainted Baumannian word is possibly crucial. And this is simply a clear perspective: the importance of national traditions in the modern planet and the relation of locality – globalisation. The adoption of specified a point of view caused that the exhibitions, while talking about the past, touched at the same time current disputes.
Recently the exhibition “Modern Modernity Reglamented” ended at the National Museum in Kraków. Modernism in PRL’. It was the 3rd exhibition from the “4 × modernity” series of the Museum since 2021, dedicated to Polish modernization processes in art, plan and architecture in the 20th and early 21st century. The first, titled "Polish national styles" and devoted to the works of the last decades of the 19th and first 20th centuries, could be seen from July 2021 to January 2022. The second, "New Start", presented from July 2022 to February 2023, afraid the interwar twentieth anniversary. In December of this year, the final part of the "Transformations" series devoted to art after 1989 will open.
But before that happens, it is worth to look at the image of the past of Polish modernization from the present presentation. This is important, due to the fact that the full cycle is the most intellectually crucial task after 2015 concerning visual arts, showing a way of looking at the past of conservative environments in our country, close intellectually, but – which is very crucial – we do not compare with the ruling political camp in Poland in 2015-2023. Similarly, like another exhibitions organized in the Krakow museum for the manager Andrzej Szczerski, specified as the serious monographic exhibition organized in 2023 by Jan Matejka.
The “4 × modernity” cycle prepared in a thoughtful and consistent way allows us to better realize the differences in looking at our past, but, more importantly, what is considered to be constitutive to our identity by conservative or right-wing environments. The exhibitions prepared, telling about artistic searches, were besides an effort to face Polish adventures with modernity and find themselves in a constantly changing world. Moreover, the subject of uncovering oneself in a liquid reality to callback the acquainted Baumannian word is possibly crucial. And this is simply a clear perspective: the importance of national traditions in the modern planet and the relation of locality – globalisation. The adoption of specified a point of view caused that the exhibitions, while talking about the past, touched at the same time current disputes.
It was so possible to believe that the Kraków cycle would provoke disputes, discussions and polemics. Especially due to the fact that the question of the form of our modernity has become 1 of the key in fresh times, in order only to callback Andrzej Leder's Dream Revolution. Yes, there have been several, sometimes solid reviews, but it is hard to talk about a more serious debate. There are possible causes to look for in the acute polarization of our public life, which besides manifests itself, paradoxically, may, in a circumstantial désintéressementwhat the non-ours say.
Disputes did not trigger a "New beginning", proposing a different position on the Twentieth anniversary, considered to be 1 of the key periods for building modern Polish identity, but besides for conservative or right-wing intellectual environments which are an crucial mention point in reasoning (also today) about the state and about society. However, this can be understood: for most recipients, 1918-1939 is simply a very distant period. However, the exhibition on the Polish People's Republic did not origin these disputes.
"Regulated Modernity" was a very extended exposition. It featured 360 exhibits, from paintings, sculptures and graphics, to photographs and films. Designs and architectural models, plan examples, books and magazines, and even method objects have been shown. The set of names itself was impressive: from Xavery Danikowski, Władysław Strzemiński and Maria Jarema, through Oskar Hansen, Alina Szapokniczow, Tadeusz Kantor, Andrzej Wróblewski and Magdalena Abakanowicz to Edward Dwrzenik, KwieKulik, Włodzimierz Pawlak and Łódź Kaliska. There were works known, but besides unobvious, seldom presented, or simply unknown. Working with the shocking cycle “My Friends of the Jews” by Władysław Strzemiński was adjacent to the task “Pomnik Road” in Auschwitz-Birkenau by Oskar Hansen and the band. Next to the sensual “Tough Age” of Alina Szapokniczow was the fabric of Magdalena Abakanowicz “Life of Warsaw” repeating the first page of the publication of the popular Warsaw journal. There were photographs from the series "Sociological Record" by Zofia Rydet and a selection of slides from "Photo Notes" by Władysław Hasior, in which the artist documented the iconosphere of People's Poland. The plan of the Skuter OSA M52 by Krzysztof Meisner and Jerzy Jankowski from 1963, the iconic RM58 by Roman Modzelewski from 1958, and the clothes designed by Barbara Hoff, was besides shown.
At the same time, the exhibition creators wanted to show the tensions "between the visual languages of the day and the war experience", how ideological force influenced knowing of the social function of art, its content and its message. Finally, as they stressed, the exhibition "throws light on the paradoxical nature of modernization in the times of the Polish People's Republic, comparing modernist ideas with the deformations of modernist projects that shaped the everyday life of the time".
Most importantly, the "Regulated Modernity" offered a different view of art in the times of the Polish People's Republic. The word "reglamentation" referred to in its title is not reduced to "a conflict for the freedom of art between artists and political power", but concerns various types of limitations, from the choice of the anticipation of what is being created to inspirations and ways of implementation.
It might be interesting to decision distant from the sharp dischotomy of the artist-power. Showing that not only in times of socialism artists and artists found themselves in socialist reality (or at least tried to do so). Yes, they shared the ideals of power to mention only the 1970s. Paweł Kwiek and Zofia Kulik proposing a renewal of socialism. The problem, however, is that in the end the exhibition told about the complications of Polish art, and almost the only area of actual artistic freedom turns out to be... Church. However, 1 must not forget that – not only in Poland – at that time fewer sacred realizations of truly outstanding ones were created. And even recalling the polychromy of Jerzy Nowosielski in the church of the Holy Spirit in Tychy does not change our artistic canon of the second half of the 20th century.
This communicative was covered by a second one: inability, lacks, constant shortcomings. The title regulation understood very virtually – the exhibition was marked by the first meat product supply card, issued for August 1989. Even if it was to be only an advertising stunt, he well defined how the artists of the exhibitions showed this time. After seeing it, 1 can wonder why so many works have been created during this time, which are inactive important, viewed, and above all current. Moreover, the same museum during the time of Andrzej Szczerski's directorship began work on the creation of the Museum of Architecture and plan in Kraków. And for the collections of the National Museum, many translations of Polish plan of the times of the Polish People's Republic of Poland have been obtained. This is 1 of the paradoxes of this exhibition, showing something more: the problem of the Polish right with the heritage of the People's Poland.
"Regulated Modernity" wanted to undermine the belief that in times of communism there was a break in historical continuity. rather convincingly it shows that it was the opposite: this continuity has been preserved – including the modernisation of erstwhile decades. Only, as Andrzej Szczerski writes in the accompanying catalogue, the PRL authorities wanted to “show themselves as the only actual modernizers in the fresh past of Poland”. At the same time, the suspects become eager to modernise, who, as Andrzej Szczerski continues in his text, recalling the publication of Bulgarian investigator Alexander Kiosew (Alexander Kiossev), represented an autocolonial attitude. "What seemed to be an expression of creative freedom and in cold-war realities was perceived as such, confirmed the belief in the Polish intellectual tradition since the partitions that Polish culture was secondary and of its peripheral importance in the past of Europe and the world" - emphasised the manager of the Kraków Museum. The key issue, therefore, is not the breakup, but the continuity of our modernity. Perhaps, then, the full tradition should be overturned, or at least more than suspiciously viewed as what and how modernized?
Previous exhibitions from this series proposed an extended perception of modernity. They showed that it should be spoken of in plural. Finally, they stressed that there were crucial differences in the course of the "detradiation" processes. Moreover, the form of modernization itself – emphasized its creators – is not only dependent on local conditions, but does not gotta radically argue traditions. It is so possible to "acquaint" the modernization, give it its own Polish face. Convince that technological innovations, industrialisation, fresh architecture or interior fittings should not be feared. The “new beginning” was the glorification of COP and the construction of Gdynia. Modernisation can therefore, but request not lead to social or cultural changes. The key question is: what was the reaction of Poles and Poles – as a collective, but besides individuals – to modernisation processes? The answer to the “Reclamated Modernity” is surprising. Watching the exhibition, it was possible to get the impression that there were no modernisation processes in the Polish People's Republic that profoundly pierced full societies. Of all those born in the 1930s, 40s or 50s who, like Leszek Górecki, the hero of “The Long distant from the Road”, “were raised in agrarian huts, and after respective classes of primary school they left for smaller towns, frequently fresh industrial centres, created only by communist authorities. There from the villagers became small-town townspeople, agrarian houses changed into blocks from a large plate, finished method and vocational schools, worked in fresh factories, passed the life road almost analogous to Leszek Górecki's peripety".
Yes, it is said in the exhibition about postwar reconstruction. Industrialisation, though almost exclusively in a negative sense. However, there are no mentions of social promotion and civilization. The elimination of illiteracy, the improvement of education. About universal wellness care. The emancipation of women. All these processes had their shortcomings, shortcomings, but they are facts that have importantly changed social life, but besides cultural and moral patterns. In fresh years – after the period of negation of the Polish People's Republic – more and more frequently talk about them – the above quote about the experience of Leszek Górecki comes from a text published a fewer years ago in "Plus-Minus" by Piotr Kaszczyszyn, erstwhile editor-in-chief of the "Pression", and now the head of the opinion portal of the Jagiellonian Club. A individual who is ideally close to the authors of the exhibition concept.
All the more striking on "Regulated Modernity" was the omission of modernisation processes. As if its authors did not want to face the full heritage of the transformation, as if the time of the Polish People's Republic could inactive be brought to stories from the films of Stanisław Bareia mixed with the past of real violence, which the state used. However, the exhibition itself may have shown something more: a changing attitude to modernity, the roots of the Enlightenment era; its heritage, present so often, rightly criticized from various ideological sides.
However, the expanding number of voices calling for his rejection are primarily on the right. They see enlightenment as a threat to Polish identity. It is no longer about reconciling modernity with the traditionalist imagination of society, but a turn towards earlier pre-enlightenment times. The question remains, what instead: a turn to much earlier traditions, like the celebrated Sarmatian republicanism of many? Advocacy for reactionism – treating this word descriptively alternatively than worthwhile, even if choosing specified an attitude means abandoning moderation, the feature of specified a close conservative attitude? It's a choice that's becoming more and more real for some. We must announcement these changes, not only the Polish right. The exhibitions, but besides the art itself – which is not necessarily noticed – prove to be a very delicate barometer of changes.
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Modernity regulated. Modernism in PRL, National Museum in Krakow, 17.11.2023-14.04.20124, The curatorial squad under the direction of Andrzej Szczerski and Piotr Juszkiewicz: Anna Budzałek, Magdalena Czubińska, Alicja Kilijańska, Bożena Kostuch, Joanna Regina Kowalska, Mirosław Piotr Kruk, Agata Maldobry, Monika Paś, Joanna Sapeta, Sabina Serafin, Agnieszka Smołuch-Sładkowska, Magdalena Święch, Katarzyna Uchowicz.
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