The new edition of the exhibition Eye on Poland is an attempt to present Brazilian audiences the most interesting poster projects of the past few years, particularly the most recent ones. The previous two editions of the show were presented in China (2010-11) and Japan, South Korea and India (2015-17), where they attracted great interest.
New Polish graphic design in recent years is dynamically developing and gaining very good recognition in Europe and around the world. The reason behind it is not only the traditional associations with Polish poster art and artists of the broadly defined ‘Polish Poster School’ (mid 1950s till late 1960s), such as Henryk Tomaszewski, Józef Mroszczak, Jan Lenica, Roman Cieślewicz or Wiktor Górka, but also the achievements of younger and middle generation designers who are nowadays searching for original solutions in their practice.
The works presented in São Paulo in the exhibition EYE ON POLAND: New Graphic Design from Poland have been selected from several hundred books and posters designed by Polish artists and designers mainly in a few last years. Most of them were commissioned by cultural institutions, museums, foundations and art galleries. Working for cultural organisations, where the bar of expectation is raised high, gives designers the freedom to experiment and look for inventive means of expression. The outcome of these collaborations? High-quality, cutting-edge designs marking new directions. Selected posters, books, exhibition catalogues and album covers, each serving a different function, can be transformed by an outstanding designer from everyday objects into artistic statements.
The tradition in that field, native language, cultural identity and original imagination has had a considerable impact on Polish contemporary graphic language and therefore graphic design artworks. All of more than 20 graphic designers and graphic studios (from the young generation to established artists) participating in the exhibition are currently active in the field of design. The idea behind the exhibition is to show the audience a wide range of styles and design strategies reflecting the richness of the current Polish graphic design scene, somehow also giving a glimpse of contemporary culture of Poland.