Poland has a rich 200-year-old tradition in the illustration of children's books. In the 20th century, what started in the 1950s with the best Polish artists and creators of the Polish School of Posters, such as Roman Cieślewicz, Janusz Stanny, and Henryk Tomaszewski, influenced further movements and morphed in the 21st century into what is now being referred to as the 'Polish school of illustration'.
During the last 12 years in particular, the artistic confidence of small publishing houses has led to a slew of innovative books being released. Like their predecessors, this new generation's avant-garde approach has once again been noticed in the world, with Polish books regularly receiving major international awards for children’s literature.
Curator of the Peek-a-Boo exhibition, Ewa Solarz, said:
The value of children's books cannot be overestimated. Through books a child encounters high culture, literature and visual arts for the first time. The books we expose our children to should be true works of art, well and beautifully designed, not a cajolery or too childish. It is indeed books that shape a child’s sense of aesthetics and the ability to appreciate the beauty.
Solarz added:
In our exhibition during the Expo 2017, we showcase the latest achievements of Polish illustrators. We present exceptional books illustrated by 16 graphic artists, standouts in the field. The chosen books show the variety, boldness, talent and ingenuity of the artists. The interactive form of the exhibition is designed to encourage guests to play with and get to know their work. Visitors will get the chance to become cartoon characters from the presented books thanks to an application that allows them to see themselves with a cartoon head. Moreover, they can animate it all through a dedicated application and animations which bring the illustrations to life.
Curator: Ewa Solarz
Exhibition design: Kosmos Project
Visual identification: Robert Czajka
Multimedia animation: Delivr.pl
Animations: Olga Brańska, Anna Brauntsch, Łukasz Mackiewicz, Bartłomiej Ogłoza, Piotr Skulimowski, Karol Szczepankiewicz
Production: Monika Brauntsch
Participating illustrators:
Edgar Bąk, Katarzyna Bogucka, Iwona Chmielewska, Robert Czajka, Agata Dudek, Emilia Dziubak, Małgorzata Gurowska, Monika Hanulak, Marta Ignerska, Aleksandra & Daniel Mizieliński, Marianna Oklejak, Paweł Pawlak, Ola Płocińska, Dawid Ryski, Piotr Socha, Marianna Sztyma
Publishing houses:
Albus, Bajka, Centrala, Czerwony Konik, Wydawnictwo Dwie Siostry, Egmont, Ezop, Gestalten, Kultura Gniewu, Nasza Księgarnia, Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego, Ringo, Warstwy, Wydaw-nictwo Literackie, Wytwórnia, Widnokrąg, Tatarak, Tamaryn, Wydawnictwo Znak, Wydawnictwo Literackie.
For more information, head to the official EXPO 2017 Astana website.
Source: press relase; edited by AZ, Aug 2017