All events are curated by the Anglo-Polish Cultural Exchange as part of the nation-wide Art History Festival organised by the Association for Art History.
Image Credit: Joanna Ciechanowska, Isle of Dogs: When We Were Happy, mixed media on paper, 2024
Emigration. Will I Make It? Joanna Ciechanowska: A Retrospective Exhibition (1970-2024)
16th September – 9th October 2024, 9 am to 9 pm, POSK Gallery
free admission
The Anglo-Polish Cultural Exchange at POSK is proud to stage the first retrospective exhibition of the Polish-born, UK-based artist, illustrator and graphic designer Joanna Ciechanowska. The exhibition traces Ciechanowska’s rich and versatile creative output in the context of her vicissitudes and the itinerary of her life journey as an émigré woman artist together with key formative influences. Having left Poland during the communist regime in 1977, Joanna came to Britain where she met her English civil engineer husband. Together they were sent to many international postings – from Iran, through Africa (including the Kingdom of Lesotho and Egypt) to Hong Kong, and post-communist Poland, where Ciechanowska was able to re-connect with her Polish roots, before settling down in Great Britain. By the 1980s Ciechanowska became a distinguished international illustrator and graphic designer, before taking on the role of POSK Gallery Director, promoting and mentoring Polish artists in the UK.
Image Credit: Joanna Ciechanowska, More than Meets the Eye, charcoal on paper, 1988
Curatorial Tour with Artist Joanna Ciechanowska and Co-Curator Dr Julia Griffin
Emigration. Will I Make It? Joanna Ciechanowska: A Retrospective Exhibition (1970-2024)
19th September 2024, 11 am to 12 noon, POSK Gallery
free admission
☕ Tea and coffee included
You are cordially invited to the Curatorial Tour of the first retrospective exhibition of the Polish-born, UK-based artist, illustrator and graphic designer Joanna Ciechanowska.
Young Poland: The Polish Arts and Crafts Movement exhibition advertising campaign in London, 2021, courtesy of the Polish Cultural Institute
Poles Apart – Bringing Cultures Together: Curating Polish Art in the UK
Illustrated Talk by Anglo-Polish Curator Dr Julia Griffin and Q&A
20th September 2024, 11:30 am to 1 pm, POSK Gallery
free admission
The Anglo-Polish Cultural Exchange (APCE) at the Polish Social and Cultural Association is a public cultural programming forum and a social inclusion campaign, aimed at celebrating Polish diaspora’s contributions to British culture and society. This illustrated talk by Dr Julia Griffin, APCE Curator, traces her personal journey and experience of curating (Anglo-) Polish art in the UK. It will discuss ways of making Polish art relatable to diverse British society, focussing on the curatorial rationale, challenges and public resonance of several recent exhibitions including Young Poland (William Morris Gallery, 2021-2022); as well as APCE shows at the POSK Gallery – Andrzej Klimowski and Danusia Schejbal: Theatre of Dreams (2022); Punks, Princes and Protests: the Chronicles of Feliks Topolski RA (with Topolski Studio, 2023); Ania Ruszkowski: Recreating Home (2024) and the current Emigration. Will I Make It? Joanna Ciechanowska: A Retrospective (1970-2024). The talk seeks to start a debate why Polish art matters in Britain.
(on the left) Portrait of Ania Ruszkowski at her exhibition ‘Recreating Home’ at POSK Gallery, 2024
(on the right) Ania Ruszkowski, Jola Kutereba: Creative Director of Karolinka, acrylic oncanvas, 80 x 60cm, 2023
The Depiction of Migration in Contemporary UK Art
Illustrated Talk by Contemporary Anglo-Polish Artist Ania Ruszkowski
Friday 20th September 2024, 2pm – 3pm, POSK Gallery
free admission
Ania Ruszkowski is a practising artist whose work explores her Anglo-Polish heritage and migrant roots. With UK’s migration being a regular part of political, social and economic discourse, Ania explores and questions how global migration is captured at a local level in contemporary British art and whether current exhibitions are representative of the richness of Britain’s diverse diaspora groups? She will explore recent installations, exhibitions and artworks which have arisen as a consequence of migration, linking these to some of the challenges of representing the migrant story and identity faced by artists (including herself) today. These include the connotations of migration with refugeeism, the complexities of how to differentiate migrant culture, nationality and ethnicity, and the place of hybrid cultures within such depictions. A lively and topical presentation will leave you with more questions than you came with.
Ania Ruszkowski, Pervasive Memories, acrylic on canvas, 80 x 60 cm, 2023
Practical Art Workshop 1:
An Explorationof Art and Identity with Contemporary Anglo-Polish Artist Ania Ruszkowski
21st September 2024, 11 am to 2 pm, Atrium
free admission
Release your creativity, and create a work of art which captures your unique identity.This interactive workshop is designed for adults and teenagers, with no expectation or need to know how to draw. Complete novices and budding artists are equally welcome. Participants will explore what forms individual and group identity. Visual examples will be shared to demonstrate how art has reflected identity historically and the different approaches used; and to consider how present global migration means we are no longer defined by a single culture or nationality. Participants will then create images to reflect their local and global migrant influences. The workshop is led by Ania Ruszkowski – a qualified Learning Specialist and practising artist whose work explores her own migrant history and Anglo-Polish identity. Techniques to choose from will include drawing and/or collage. All materials will be provided; please bring any mementoes such as photographs, books, etc to inspire you.
Ania Ruszkowski, No place to go home, acrylic on canvas, 46 x 56cm, 2023
Practical Art Workshop 2:
An Explorationof Art and Identity with Contemporary Anglo-Polish Artist Ania Ruszkowski
21st September 2024, 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm, Atrium
free admission
Release your creativity, and create a work of art which captures your unique identity.This interactive workshop is designed for adults and teenagers, with no expectation or need to know how to draw. Complete novices and budding artists are equally welcome. Participants will explore what forms individual and group identity. Visual examples will be shared to demonstrate how art has reflected identity historically and the different approaches used; and to consider how present global migration means we are no longer defined by a single culture or nationality. Participants will then create images to reflect their local and global migrant influences. The workshop is led by Ania Ruszkowski – a qualified Learning Specialist and practising artist whose work explores her own migrant history and Anglo-Polish identity. Techniques to choose from will include drawing and/or collage. All materials will be provided; please bring any mementoes such as photographs, books, etc to inspire you.
All events are organised by the Anglo-Polish Cultural Exchange at the Polish Social and Cultural Association as part of Art History Festival 2024 organised by the Association for Art History.
