Even though I was born in 1992 and belong to the 90s kids collective, I've always had a feeling for what belong to the not so distant past which shaped my Parents' generation and surrounded them. The PRL era (Polish People's Republic) has left a strong mark on what's in most Polish homes and what I've always admired at my Grandparent's flat. A wall unit, meblościanka, is a piece of furniture you either love and hate. If you grew up in Poland (or other generally in Eastern Europe), you must have had one and you still may own one. If not you, then some of your friends or relatives. And even though for many it's already a relict you let the garbage man take away, a lot of people begin to appreciate this peculiar furishing and share the results of giving wall units a new breath of life.
But if you begin to think that Polish applied arts are nothing but cabinets, you better change your mind. Ćmielów, Bolesławiec, Krosno, Moda Polska, Telimena (to name a few) are the names I've always known and admired. I can still remember going to Moda Polska as a kid and back then the brand seemed like a symbol of success and all their designes looked so dreamy. I can also recall a huge neon sign hanging right above the entrance to the shop. As I like to say, those were the days, man! Yeah, those were the good days when people appreciated what they had and didn't use to consume as much as we do nowadays. Those were the happy days.
An ersatz (and also hopes for the future because yes, we do have good Polish applied arts) of those times is to be found in the new permanent gallery at the National Museum in Warsaw. The Gallery of Polish Design opened in the middle of December 2017 and is a new home for furniture, electronis, textiles (alongside with blueprints and prototypes), etno pieces and children design from the beginning of the 20th century up to contemporary art. As you can imagine, being there felt like heaven on Earth and I'm so happy that such a place finally exists in the National Museum. It shows that Polish design is far from what you can buy either at Cepelia or any other souvenirs corner at the airport or railway station. Too bad, I saw so few people there during my visit.
There was also a little incident I need to tell you about. While I was marvelling at a new take on folk design (one of my favourite things on display, so fresh!), I saw a couple with kids entering the room. One of the kids quickly rushed through the gallery and started shouting something. With all honesty, I was a very well-bred child and would have never ever imagined running like mad in any public place. So my perception of not so obliging kids is rather negative and I always put the blame on parets who prefer to 'pamper' their kiddos with the newest technology instead of actually brining them up. That's what I wanted to do this time as well, but then something even worse happened. The mother pulled the little boy's arm, dragged him forcefully to some place and ordered him to almost sit on the floor and not move anywhere until she's done with the exhibition. And that's what made me utterly sad and I felt sorry for the kid. After all he wasn't any guilty here. It wasn't his fault that his parents probably let him run around whenever there's some bigger space. It's not his fault that nobody explained to him how to behave in a place like this. And it will never be his fault that when he grows up he's gonna avoid art galleries like his worst enemy. After all the only thing he's gonna remember about such places will be a list of various unnatural bans. If children are brought up this way, i.e. hearing orders without any explanation, they're never gonna enjoy arts, they'll never read about art nor make any closer encounter in the future. That's even sadder giving the fact that Polish applied arts have long been underestimated and Polish schools lack basic art education. And even if there's such, it's put into stiff norms.
Nevertheless, Polish design is doing fine. More and more artists are appreciated far and wide all around the globe and I'd gladly take some of their designs home. If you're new to the club of Polish art lovers, I highly recommend having a look at the Museum Shop. They have the gallery guidebook (in Polish and English, both for 12PLN) with some of the exhibits and also a bit of history. And if you're into some bigger spending, the shop also sells some porcelain figures from Ćmielów and they also have the PLOPP stool.
pictures with traditional Polish customs by Zofia Stryjeńska; they were shown at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industral Arts in Paris in 1925
Sex Bomb figures from Ćmielów
No comments:
Post a Comment