Press Releases > 10/16/2010
The Austin Polish Film Festival Presents:
Streetwise: Polish Film Posters
For Immediate Release: October 16, 2010 Contact: Mary Gawron (512) 423-1815
Works by Polish Poster Artists Hit the Streets of Austin 
Long ago an unusual thing happened to me – I saw a camel with wings in the street. I fell in love with it. Love at first sight. A fact unprecedented in natural history – there has never been any creature like this. But it exists in Art.
IT IS THE POSTER. Jan Lenica
The Austin Polish Society as part of its 5th Austin Polish Film Festival and the Austin AIGA will present an exhibition of posters and photographs entitled: Streetwise: Polish Film Posters. The exhibition will open Thursday, November 4 with a reception at 6 pm and continue through November 13, 2010. It will be the only opportunity to see these unique and imaginative posters and the photographic narrative of how they live on the streets of Austin as captured by local artist, Caroline Ulbrich. The exhibition will be at 912 Congress Avenue, downtown Austin.
The History of the Polish Poster
In conjunction with this exhibit, guest director/producer, graphic artist, and writer, Andrea Marks will be presenting her documentary film, Freedom on the Fence, co-directed by Glenn Holsten, and speak to audiences about the artistic and politically successful phenomenon called the “Polish poster”. Ms. Marks comments that “Posters are a part of our everyday visual culture…not a terribly precious artifact…its life on the street endures unpredictable events, from weather to graffiti.” Her insightful and provocative film will be screened several times during the 5th Austin Polish Film Festival. See schedule below.
Impact of The Polish Poster
Shortly after the Second World War, a seemingly unimportant event took place during a few meetings between some polish poster designers like Tadeusz Trepkowski, Henryk Tomaszewski and Eryk Lipinski and the new communist rulers of the country, during which the artists managed to obtain some limited freedom to design posters as they wanted, as long as they did not attack the state. However, the agreement had long lasting and worldwide consequences: The artists, building on a strong poster tradition that existed in Poland even before the war used the possibilities to the hilt, and established an entirely new type of posters that later became known as “the school of polish poster design”. It was so successful, that it led to the world’s first poster museum in Wilanow, and the International Poster Bienniale in Warsaw which beamed the polish influence not only to the countries behind the Iron Curtain, but throughout the world, to Japan, Cuba, witzerland, France, Mexico, Iran. World poster design in the second half of the 20th century would have taken a different course without the Polish contribution. Movie posters and theater posters were among the first fields to be conquered, while political posters were never popular in Poland, and product posters almost entirely absent. The new style was much closer to art than to advertising, and far away from the global movie poster style prevalent in the rest of the world. (From Rene Wanner’s poster website http://www.posterpage.ch/reviews/re97film/re97film.htm ) Polish Poster Artists in Streetwise: Polish Film Posters Exhibit In keeping with Austin Polish Film Festival theme, the artists included in the exhibit have their interpretation of films in this exhibit. Although Polish posters are used to promote many other artistic events in Poland, such as concerts, operas, theater, and social causes or issues, the focus in this exhibit is the film poster. The artists represented range from Stasys Eidrigevicius (b.1949) to Franciszek Starowieyski (1930-2009), to Wieslaw Walkuski (b. 1956). More about this collection, information about the photographer who has captured these posters on Austin streets, and more about Andrea Marks at http://www.austinpolishsociety.org/austinpff2010/page4/page4.html. A list of APFF Polish poster exhibit events is below.
The exhibit will close with a reception on Saturday, November 13 at 8:30 pm at 912 Congress Avenue. Streetwise: Polish Film Festival Events – November 4-13, 2010 Thursday, November 4 at 6 pm, at 912 Congress Avenue. Opening of Streetwise: Polish Film Posters, an exhibit of contemporary Polish posters and large format photographs and how they live on the streets of
Austin, Texas. Featured poster artists include Starowieyski, Majewski, Mroszczak, Olbinski, Eidrigevicius, Walkuski and more. Photographs are by Caroline Ulbrich. The exhibit runs until
Saturday, November 13, with a closing reception at 8:30 pm. Free. Friday, November 12, 7 pm, the APFF and the Austin AIGA co-sponsor film director/producer, graphic designer, and writer, Andrea Marks at The Art Institute of Austin, 101 W. Louis Henna Blvd., Suite 100, Austin, 78728. Ms. Marks will present a documentary about the history of Polish posters, Freedom on the Fence, and discuss the making of this dynamic film. A reception will follow. All are invited. Free. Saturday, November 13, 4pm – 8pm Austin Film Society Screening room at 1901 E 51st St, Austin, Texas 78723
Polish animation and shorts. Featured guest Andrea Marks will present Freedom on the Fence and hold a Q&A session. Small donation requested. 8:30PM – 912 Congress Avenue APFF closing reception and a parting look at Streetwise: Polish Film Posters. Food, music and fun. Free.
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