The poster - an artistic manifestation of the applied graphic arts that fulfills informational, advertising and propaganda functions - took on the scale of a broader phenomenon in the second half of the 19th century. In its present form, it has become art of the street and contributes significantly to shaping the visual environment in which we live. It has, in effect, become the art of our surroundings. Towards the end of the 20th century, it clearly changed in appearance and in the process acquired "museum value." Designers began thinking about posters in a new way. In creating a poster, contemporary artists know that their works will not disappear completely when they are stripped off of walls, that they are likely to wind up in museums, galleries and collections. This conviction has lead to improved quality in poster design, to the use of a more interesting and increasingly sophisticated language of communication. Proof of this can be found in the many poster competitions and exhibitions that are organized each year.
THE INTERNATIONAL POSTER BIENNALE in Warsaw is the oldest event of its kind in the world. It was created on the initiative of Polish graphic artists in 1966. Its aim has been to juxtapose the poster designs of artists from various countries, to reveal the abundance of forms and aesthetics that govern the creation of contemporary posters. From the outset, the Warsaw-based competition gained immediate prestige and the recognition of graphic artists and critics worldwide, quickly becoming the most important forum for the promotion of artistic achievements and exchanges of experience in the realm of world poster design. Jozef Mroszczak, an exceptional graphic artist and professor of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, was among the event's founders and for many years served as its chief organizer. Some of the world's most outstanding artists have figured as participants, winners, jurors and supporters of subsequent editions. More specifically, winners have included Andy Warhol, Hiroshi Tanaka, Kazamusa Nagai, Hans Hillmann, Pierre Bernard, the GRAPUS Group, Shigeo Fukuda, Ikko Tanaka, Uwe Loesch, Milton Glaser, Paul Davis, Andre Francois, Mitsuo Katsui, Andrey Logvin, Alexander Faldin, Henryk Tomaszewski,
Jan Lenica,
Roman Cieslewicz, Jan Mlodozeniec,
Waldemar Swierzy,
Franciszek Starowieyski, Wieslaw Rosocha and Jan Sawka. The INTERNATIONAL POSTER BIENNALE is considered the world's most prestigious presentation of posters from around the globe. The event enjoys the permanent patronage of ICOGRADA - the International Council of Graphic Design Associations.
Dr. Frieder Mellinghoff, a juror of the previous, eighteenth edition of the event, wrote the following in the exhibition catalogue:
"All those who love posters cannot help but celebrate this greatest of poster art festivals - the 18th International Poster Biennale in Warsaw. And all those who are friends of the Poster Museum in Wilanow are overjoyed at the fact that over the last two years, posters have lost none of their power and charm and have, in fact, renewed their power of expression. The visual and technical quality evident in poster aesthetics has improved. Instead of losing some of its strengths, quite to the contrary, the poster has developed new ones. Business, culture and society cannot manage without information and advertising, and the need for clear differentiation of communiqués deriving from various sources remains a noble challenge for both young and experienced poster designers. (...) Posters contribute to the study and description of the future. In abandoning conservative preferences, we should encourage professional educators, graphic artists and advertisers to invest trust in the poster as a means of communication that corresponds to today's globalized cultural and economic relations. We should, in particular, appreciate the efforts of the organizers of the International Poster Biennale in Warsaw, which constitutes a most appropriate platform for the presentation of this highly creative means of public communication."
This year's edition of the event has drawn almost two thousand five hundred entries by seven hundred sixty-two artists from forty-seven countries. A qualification committee has selected four hundred fifty-four posters for exhibition. Of this number an international jury will select the winners of Gold, Silver and Bronze medals and, from among debut designers, winners of Zloty Debiut (Golden Debut) awards in the following four categories: "Plakaty ideowe" / "Concept Posters" - posters pertaining to universal issues and subjects related to the existential condition of contemporary man, civilizational problems, political and social phenomena, and social campaigns; "Plakaty kulturalne" / "Cultural Posters" - posters promoting cultural, artistic, educational and sports events; "Plakaty reklamowe" / "Advertising Posters" - posters advertising goods and corporations; and "Debiut" / "Debut" - works by students and individuals who graduated from art schools within the last two years.
The announcement of the jury's verdict and exhibition opening took place on June 5th, 2004.
This year's BIENNALE is accompanied by the following two exhibitions:
**a** JURORZY 19. MIEDZYNARODOWEGO BIENNALE PLAKATU WARSZAWA 2004 / JURORS OF THE 19TH INTERNATIONAL POSTER BIENNALE IN WARSAW 2004
(Warsaw, Headquarters of Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne / Polish Power Grid Company, June 7 - June 18, 2004) - posters designed by jurors: Philippe Apeloig (France), Maciej Buszewicz (Poland), Daniela Haufe (Germany) and Anabella Salem (Argentina).
**a** LAUREACI 18. MIEDZYNARODOWEGO BIENNALE PLAKATU WARSZAWA 2002 / WINNERS OF THE 18TH INTERNATIONAL POSTER BIENNALE IN WARSAW 2002
(Warsaw, Galeria Studio / Studio Gallery, June 6 - June 20, 2004) - posters by winners of Gold Medals during the last edition of the BIENNALE: Alex Jordan (France), Alain Le Quernec (France) and Makato Saito (Japan).
WINNERS OF THE 19TH INTERNATIONAL POSTER BIENNALE IN WARSAW 2004
Norikazu Kita, Japan, "Gravity"
**a** The group of the ideological poster:
Gold Medal - Norikazu Kita (Japan) "Gravity"
Silver Medal (ex aequo) - Alejandro Magallanes (Mexico) "Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. 300 Murdered Women" and Shunji Niinomi (Japan) "Save me"
Bronze Medal (ex aequo) - Jaga Jankowska (Poland) "Winter Goes, Poverty Stays" and Sebastian Kubica (Poland) "100th Anniversary of the Hospital Zabki"
**a** The group of the posters promoting culture and art:
Henning Wagenbreth, Germany, "Jazz Fest Berlin"
Złoty Medal - Vladimir Chaika (Russia) "Mayakowski: Day Before Yesterday. Yesterday. Today"
Silver Medal (ex aequo) - Paula Scher (US) za plakat "As You Like It. William Shakespaere" and Henning Wagenbreth (Germany) "Jazz Fest Berlin"
Bronze Medal (ex aequo) - Annik Troxler (Switzerland) "Intimities" and Koichi Sato (Japan) "MANA Screen 25th Anniversary"
**a** The group of additional cathegory "Debuts":
Gold Debut - Franz Scholz (Germany) "The ocean starts here"
Honorary Mention - Tereza Bredlerova (Czech Republic) "I Love War in Spring"
Sebastian Kubica, Poland, "100th Anniversary of the Hospital Zabki"
**a** ICOGRADA Excellence Award:
Saed Meshki (Iran) "A Pathological Survey of Contemporary Iranian Cinema"
**a** Honoured Prize of Jozef Mroszczak:
Erich Brechbühl (Switzerland) "Theatersport"
**a** Competition for posters devoting to
Witold Gombrowicz's ideas:
Ryszard Kajzer (Poland) quotation from DZIENNIK / Diary by Witold Gombrowicz: "Cecha literatury jest ostrosc" ("A characteristic of literature is its aquity")
Wilanow Poster Museum
Muzeum Plakatu w Wilanowie
Oddzial Muzeum Narodowego w Warszawie
kurator: Magdalena Kurpik
ul. St. Kostki Potockiego 10/16, 02-958 Warszawa
tel./fax (+48 22) 842 26 06
www.postermuseum-wilanow.pl