MONUMENTAL PAINTING

Over the last few years, Gdansk has become a Polish capital of murals - monumental wall paintings in public spaces. The pioneer of the phenomenon was Rafal Roskowinski (a graduate of Gdansk Academy of Fine Arts). In the early 90ies, he initiated the Mural Workshop at the Baltic Sea Culture Center which was the place of origin of several works by Jimi Torturo, Tomasz Bielak,Tomasz Zabrocki, Krzysztofa Wróblewski and Rafal Ewertowski. He also organized festivals of mural painting like : "Posplite ruszenie" ("Mass Levy") at Kliniczna Junction or an international event commemorating Gdansk's 1000th Anniversary which took place in Zaspa (a tower block district of Gdansk).
In 2000, a then worker of Culture Center Winda - Piotr Szwabe, revived the festival at Kliniczna, which after 2 years, became a significant European event. The place started to function as Open City Gallery. Within 5 years it has become a collection of 40 works referring to social and political themes (see Kliniczna for more infromation). The idea of Kliniczna gallery was inspired by works of left wing Mexican painters (ex. Sequeirosa, Riviera). It was also meant to function as a complementary element of architecture, enlivening the place with colors.
The concept of painting in Zaspa (the only world gallery of murals created on the walls of tower blocks) was brought back by the Office of Gdansk and the Metropolis the European Capital of Culture 2016 on the basis of the agreement with Piotr Szwabe - the organizer of Zaspa 2009 Festival of Monumental Painting. The paintings are to cover the walls of blocks of flats, which total area is estimated at 1500 square meters. Their themes are to be bound with a series of significant anniversaries: 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the World War II, the 70th anniversary of Stanislaw Witkacy's death, 20 years of the Round Table Agreement (the historical summit of the representatives of Solidarity movement and communist authorities which marks the fall of totalitarian system in Europe) and 50 years of the first rock'n'roll concert in Poland, which took place in Gdansk. The artists participating in the Festival are not to focus solely on their works. The primary concern are to be the people who will be in a way "convicted" to daily contact and coexistence with their works. The images are to correspond with the context of the place where they are going to be created. Simultaneously they are also going to democratically combine various conventions of mural and graffiti.

Feel invited to Zaspa Monumental Painting Festival!

Piotr Szwabe