"The power of colour can impress even a viewer who is unfamiliar with the subject matter," noted Tomasz Łęcki, Director of the National Museum of Poznań speaking at a press conference about an exhibition of posters by Michel Quarez that opened on June 7 after a delay caused by the outbreak of Covid-19.
This year's holiday season will undoubtedly be unlike any other before it. It is predicted that the majority of Poznań residents will spend it in or near their city. Does this mean no attractions? Far from it! The Zamek Cultural Centre, the National Museum and KontenerArt are just a few of the sites that are certain to offer respite and entertainment to anyone thirsting for a holiday experience.
Drawing is the oldest language of art and the most direct record of artists' thoughts, ideas and visions.
As of 12 June, one may again visit the Museum of Wielkopolska Uprising of 1918-1919 in the Guardhouse building in Poznań's Old Market Square (Stary Rynek). The Museum opens from Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 3pm.
As of Friday, 5 June, Porta Posnania is reopening to Poznań residents and tourists. Its visitors will be able to see its main displays and more. Needless to say, all necessary safety precautions apply.
Cultural institutions are gradually returning to normal. On 4 May, selected institutions, among them libraries and art galleries, reopened while observing proper safety precautions. For the time being, not all of the venues we used to visit to seek cultural experience will be accessible. And not all of us will dare to immediately return to those that are. To get you through this transition period, here is our final list of cultural recommendations you will be able to enjoy from the comfort and safety of your couch.
Monday 11 May marked the start of the fourth edition of the Poznań Art Week, the only art festival in the capital of the Wielkopolska region to have packed such a great number of visual art events into a single programme. This year, the majority of the projects will be accessible online.
Poznań's first cultural institution to restore its operations has reopened after nearly two months of closure due to Covid-19. The permanent exhibitions of the National Museum and its nine branches are again accessible to visitors.
Fifty years ago, trolleybuses disappeared from the streets of Poznań. On 29 March 1970, the last trolleybus line, number 103 from Ogrody to Smochowice, was closed. Why did Poznań residents call trolleybuses "a poor man's trams"? Is there a chance they might ever return to Poznań?
It has become very clear these days that the coronavirus pandemic has struck artists of all stripes with particular ferocity. As we substitute virtual concerts streamed into our homes for live events, we should not forget about the option of listening to recordings of concerts past.
The Internet keeps people from getting bored in these troubled times. Book authors share insights into their work, museums open up to virtual visitors, while a somewhat forgotten app that allows people to watch Netflix together is making a comeback. My recommendation is photography. That is because I think it is always a good time to see great photographs.
The news of his arrival electrified everyone. "Even those who did not otherwise care much for music quivered in excitement," wrote Ryszard Gloger in Głos Wielkopolski. Leonard Cohen appeared on stage in Poznań 35 years ago.
Many of us were planning to see the Short Waves Festival scheduled to begin on March 17. All we know at the moment is that it has been moved to August. Where then do we find short films? My personal recommendation is to visit the Omeleto channel on YouTube.
Current situation made us realize what phenomenon (not fully definable) is music performed live. Thousands of music institutions' visitors, including Poznan Philharmonic will lack this experience in the nearest future (how long exactly?).
The coronavirus plight has confined many people to their homes. Schools have closed, entertainment, cultural and sporting events got cancelled, and many people have been forced to work remotely... To make this time of imposed isolation a little more pleasurable and show that culture is always within your reach, we have enlisted the help of our authors to offer suggestions on how to bring culture into your leisure time. First up, we are going to hear from Patryk Szczechowiak with his cinematic recommendations.
Over 80 events, 250 films screened in several locations and 100 international guests in just 6 days. Such is the promise of the 12th edition of the Short Waves Festival scheduled to begin on 17 March.
Note! As per recommendation of the Mayor of Poznań regarding the threat posed by the spread of the coronavirus, the majority of cultural events scheduled for March, April and May 2020 will either be cancelled or postponed to a later date
The love of TV series is by no means a contemporary invention. Certain manifestations of it can be traced to every period in history, every age in fact, as characters from very different historical contexts have always had new adventures attributed to them.
MARIUSZ FORECKI, Poznań documentary photographer, author of the book of photographs Mechanizm. Polska 1988-2019 (The Mechanism. Poland in 1988-2019) in an interview with MAREK S. BOCHNIARZ
Choreomania and social dancing are two concepts and phenomena that form the foundation of the latest play of the Polish Dance Theatre. Choreographed by Marta Ziółek, "Trucizna" ("Poison") is scheduled to premiere on 25 February at the Zamek Cultural Centre.
The exhibition of posters by Boris Bućan in the Arsenal Gallery is one of the first solo shows of the work of this Croatian artist to be held in Poland. While a dozen plus works by the artist were originally announced, only some of them will need up on view for reasons beyond the Gallery's control. Nevertheless, the few posters that are expected to come will undoubtedly make the retrospective well worth a visit.
This time it wasn't the tabloids that broke the news of the legendary womaniser's imminent arrival in Poznań. The rumour had been circulating for a while on culture websites and in culture magazines, electrifying Poznań residents. Ladies and gentlemen, I am now pleased to confirm officially: Don Juan is soon coming to the Wielki (Grand) Theatre.
The Lovembal Balfolk Dance Festival is a folk dance party featuring dances inspired by a wide range of European cultural traditions. The term "balfolk" has evolved over time coming to refer to a movement that originated in France in the 1970s and that has since spread to and gained popularity in many countries of Europe, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal and Germany.
"What do you mean artificial?!" Told that Lake Rusałka is man-made, many Poznanians respond with incredulity. And no wonder as the reservoir's builders made every effort to make it look like a natural lake. And yet, the development of this beautiful body of water was tainted by horrible tragedy.
"Shortly before 1870, three young men, Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, were in the habit of sitting on the banks of the Seine and paint the landscape. They were realists, interested mainly in faithfully reproducing the reflections of light in the water that appeared to be in constant motion, such reflections filling the water with new life", wrote the Italian historian and art critic Lionello Venturi about impressionists.
The next exhibition of the Poznań Fotoplastykon (Kaiserpanorama) will take you to the south of Poland. Gaze into the vintage device and be transported to the Tatras where you will savor the unique landscapes of these mountains, their wild nature and the daily lives of the highlanders. You will see the Tatra peaks the way they appeared to tourists over six decades ago. Within one rotation cycle of the stereo photograph machine, you will view all the major stunning highlights of Poland's tallest mountain range.
"A true artist will never answer the question of what art is. To quote my mentor, Piet Mondrian: << Leave art alone. Create new beauty >>", said Tadeusz Mysłowski in an interview. Were we to push this artist and art collector further to force him to reveal his view on what art is, his answer might well be as provided in the M as in Master exhibition scheduled to open at the National Museum of Poznań on 22 November.
He is a living work of art and has worked with such fashion celebrities as Vivienne Westwood and Naomi Campbell and brands such as H&M, Mastercard and Bulgari on their flagship projects. A long list of artists and celebrities who recognise Daniel Lismore as an outstanding and intriguing artist includes Björk and David Bekcham. His art that escapes all definitions is now presented to the Polish audience for the first time at the exhibition in Stary Browar in Poznań.
After a traumatic Finale last year marked by a tragedy at Gdańsk's Targ Węglowy square that unfolded right before our eyes, the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity came to a momentary stop. This year, however, it is back in business, living up to its promise to keep on trucking "until the end of the world and a day thereafter". And so the 28th finale is upon us!
