State of Life | Polish contemporary art in Beijing

The National Art Museum of China in Beijing hosts the exhibition "State of Life. Polish Contemporary Art within a Global Circumstance". It is the first so comprehensive a presentation of Polish contemporary art not only in China, but also in this part of Asia. The exhibition gives a wide and thorough presentation of the most essential works and influential artists in Polish contemporary art. A total of 70 works will be displayed in the exhibition halls of the National Art Museum of China (NAMOC), considered one of the most important Chinese cultural institutions. The year 1989 brought a radical change in Poland – when Poland broke away from the collapsing Soviet bloc, Poles faced a whole new reality which was, for the first time in many years, in their own hands. Last quarter of the century in Poland, was an extremely intensive time, when boundless opportunities, economic development and the sense of regained freedom mixed with discourses and tensions relating to the post-war period. The exhibition "State of Life", curated by Jarosław Lubiak, takes up different aspects of life and living conditions in Poland as well as the condition of the state itself. Going back to the early visions of modernity, through the dealing with the Second World War memory it traces different ways of conveying every-day life experience in Poland today. Further information: National Art Museum of China Exhibition dates: 11 May - 22 June 2015 The exhibition was prepared by the Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź and Culture.pl, as part of Polish cultural program in China. This multidisciplinary program, coordinated by Culture.pl, presents Polish cultural projects in some of the most important cities on the cultural map of the country (Beijing, Wuhan, Tianjin), forming a coherent series of events aimed at raising awareness of the brand 'Poland' and Polish culture in China. As part of the Asia programme, the exhibition "Treasures from Chopin's Country: Polish Art from the 15th - 20th Century" which enjoyed a huge popularity in Beijing, travels straight from China to the National Museum of Korea in Seoul. It will be presented there under a new title "Polish Art: An Enduring Spirit". It runs in Seoul 5 June - 30 August. Image: Włodzimierz Pawlak, Nostalgy, 1986, collection of the Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź