“The idea for the exhibition was partly born in Bolesławiec,” admits Marita Benke-Gajda, the only woman among the 20 artists whose works can be admired at the Museum of Ceramics. In a conversation with museum director Anna Bober-Tubaj, the Krakow-based artist concluded that it would be worthwhile to organize an exhibition different from those held so far—one devoted to drawing. The initiative met with a lively response among the lecturers of Krakow’s Academy of Fine Arts. It turned out that many outstanding personalities decided to take part in the project.
The exhibition “Lines,” whose opening took place on March 7, features works by leading Polish artists. They include sculptors, painters and graphic artists. “The exhibition is a review of certain tendencies emerging in contemporary drawing,” says Jan Tutaj, a sculptor and the exhibition’s curator. “Its title is intriguingly catchy. It suggests that drawing is a discipline that uses the line in the classical sense, with the line treated as a stroke. However, a line is often a concept that appears at the meeting point of planes, at the meeting point of certain worlds,” he adds.
“Drawing is undervalued,” says Tadeusz Orawiec from the Museum of Ceramics. “This exhibition is worth recommending because it shows different personalities and different styles.” It also demonstrates how diverse a drawn record can be. Among the works on display are both classic pieces made with pencil or charcoal and those created using a brush or pen. There is also a ceramic work.
“It is wonderful that one can show art that normally lies in artists’ drawers. Artists do not often take these drawings out,” Marita Benke-Gajda notes. “It is very rare for an artist to present drawing as a creative discipline. We managed to do it, and I am very pleased about that.” The Krakow-based artist also added that she was happy that the exhibition had come to our city. As she emphasized, Bolesławiec is, after Krakow, the city closest to her heart.
The exhibition can be visited until May.