"Whoever wanted to know everything will see nothing." The Starak Family Foundation presents an extensive collection of works by the legendary Gruppa
In 1982, Gruppa was founded at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts - one of the most important artistic collectives of the 1980s, which played a significant role in shaping the independent culture of that decade. Six painters opposed both the political reality of the Polish People's Republic and academic conventions, creating a common, censorship-free space for expression, irony and engagement. Their works can be seen until September 15 at the Warsaw gallery Spectra Art Space.
The Starak Family Foundation is once again presenting an important fragment of the history of Polish contemporary art. Earlier, in the Spectra Art Space, we could see an extensive selection of works by Andrzej Wróblewski juxtaposed with the poetry of Tadeusz Różewicz - an exhibition constructed by Anna Muszyńska, focused on the themes of memory, existence and attempts to cope with the difficult reality of the post-war world.
This time, the curator reaches for the work of artists associated with Gruppa, a group active in the 1980s that played a significant role in shaping the independent art scene in Poland.
The exhibition "GRUPPA. Brothers and Comrades" at Spectra Art Space takes viewers back to the time of martial law, social crisis and growing opposition to censorship.
GRUPPA. Brothers and Comrades exhibition at Spectra Art Space / Well.pl, photo by Maria JasekGruppa was founded on the initiative of six artists associated with the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw: Ryszard Grzyb, Paweł Kowalewski, Jarosław Modzelewski, Włodzimierz Pawlak, Marek Sobczyk and Ryszard Woźniak.
GRUPPA. Brothers and Comrades exhibition at Spectra Art Space / Well.pl, photo by Maria JasekThey created in the realities of the crisis of the 1980s , to which they responded with emotional painting, full of color, distortions, literary references and perverse humor. Seemingly grotesque representations concealed existential anxiety and ironic commentary on the history and reality of the Polish People's Republic.
GRUPPA. Brothers and Comrades exhibition at Spectra Art Space / Well.pl, photo by Maria JasekThe artists consciously opposed the aesthetics of cold formalism, choosing the image as a direct means of communication. Gruppa was for them not so much a compact formation, but a common - although diverse - space of action, encompassing not only painting, but also manifestos and performances, which complemented their presence in the art of that time.
GRUPPA. Brothers and Comrades exhibition at Spectra Art Space / Well.pl, photo by Maria JasekAlthough the exhibition does not include documentation of Gruppa's performative activities, the images presented in Spectra Art Space create a sufficiently colourful and polyphonic panorama of the experiences of the 1980s generation.
The visual intensity is still very impressive, but to understand it properly, a historical perspective is necessary, taking into account the social, political and cultural context of the Polish People's Republic.
Only then do the tensions hidden under the grotesque, shaped by Gruppa's artists as, among other things , an "emotional map of Poles' fears and hopes", fully resonate.
GRUPPA. Brothers and Comrades exhibition at Spectra Art Space / Well.pl, photo by Maria JasekThe exhibition takes the viewer through the most important themes of the Gruppa artists’ work. Among the works we will see, among others, the monumental canvas by Marek Sobczyk Where are they still fighting in Poland (1989) – a painterly commentary on violence and conflicts; Mon Cheri Bolshevique by Paweł Kowalewski (1984), balancing between irony and a warning against Russian imperialism; gouaches full of humor and literary references by Ryszard Grzyb; the intimate Dream with a Gun by Jarosław Modzelewski; The Builder by Ryszard Woźniak – an “upside down” figure entangled in the system; and The Moment in Which a Man and a Dog Feel the Same Pain of Existence by Włodzimierz Pawlak.
GRUPPA. Brothers and Comrades exhibition at Spectra Art Space / Well.pl, photo by Maria JasekAnna Muszyńska had already had the opportunity to work with many of these works as a curator, including the exhibition We Admit Guilt. We Ask for Forgiveness. We Promise Improvement at the Warsaw Program Gallery in 2002 - the first such extensive presentation of Gruppa after many years, organized on the 20th anniversary of their joint debut.
The exhibition can be viewed until September 15, 2025 at Spectra Art Space at 6 Borowiecka Street in Warsaw.
