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To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Poland regaining its independence, Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI), together with University of the Arts Poznan, Poland (UAP), is pleased to present “Imaging Poland” — an exhibition that showcases a selection of the very best Polish poster designs from 1928 up till now, with particular emphasis on works created for the film industry after 1989.

The event features an interactive exhibition, a master lecture and screenings of a documentary movie and short animated films, offering both students and the general public a kaleidoscopic view of Polish design since the post-war period to contemporary era. In total, around 200 posters by more than 70 artists will be presented during the exhibition.
This first stage, that of the “founding fathers” of the Polish poster, was characterised by the very expressive form of articulation intermediated by the fine arts; the second stage can be summarised as “the transition”, when the influences of traditional techniques were still present but already the simplification of the form was paving the way for the third stage, which could be called that of the “contemporary poster”, where graphic simplification is dominant.

UAP is a modern university that continues the best traditions of the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan. It is also the only art university in Poland that also provides education that is not confined to the field of art.

Venue:
Hong Kong Design Institute
3 King Ling Road, Tseung Kwan O
(Tiu Keng Leng MTR station Exit A2)

Film Screening:
Sept 13 | 16:30

Master Lecture:
Sept 14 | 13:30

Exhibition:
Sept 13-20 | 10:00 - 20:00
Sept 21 | 10:00 - 17:00

Animation Screening:
Sept 20 | 10:30

“Polish graphic design is expressed in a short, metaphorical, meaningful and often witty way of thinking, presented in an adequate manner; modern and at the same time deriving from the rich tradition of Polish School of Poster.” - Marcin Markowski Marcin Markowski is Assistant Professor at the Studio of Professor Grzegorz Marszałek at the Faculty of Graphic Arts & Visual Communications at UAP. He creates posters, publications and visual identifications — receiving numerous prestigious awards and prizes including: a bronze at the Hong Kong Global Design Awards (2013); a gold as well as the Special Prize Icograda at the Taipei International Design Awards (2014); gold and silvers at the European Design Awards in Vienna (2016). Markowski is tentatively scheduled to attend the programmes installed for Imagining Poland at HKDI — your chance to put a face to the creator of these stunning posters. “Polish design is a synthesis of analysis.” - Szymon Szymankiewicz Szymon Szymankiewicz currently works as an Assistant Professor at Eugeniusz Skorwider’s Poster Studio II at the Faculty of Graphic and Visual Communication of UAP. He creates posters, illustrations and visual messages. His work has been presented at exhibitions in Poland and abroad, including in Berlin, Chaumont, Hong Kong, Katowice, London, Lucerne, Moscow, Paris, Prague, Shanghai, Tehran and Warsaw, to name a few. Szymankiewicz, too, will be joining his fellow UAP academics to attend the exhibition at HKDI this September!

“Polish Poster speaks powerfully in various ways using visual metaphors. He reveals the deep essence of things.” - Dr. Mateusz Bieczynski Dr. Mateusz Bieczynski, currently the Vice-Rector at UAP, is also the author of 6 monographic books and an editor of 12 art exhibition catalogues. He has participated in more then 30 scientific conferences giving lectures about art and law relation including culture heritage protection, copyright issues and legal limitations of the arts, as well as the history of printmaking, the history of poster and the sociology of art market. He won many prizes, most recently the Prize from the President of Poznańfor the best non-scientific book in year 2017 for the art catalogue Poznań Art Week 2017. Dr. Mateusz Bieczynski will be delivering the master lecture for the collaborative exhibition “Imaging Poland”. “Today’s poster — it’s not just the street space. Recently, more and more often, it occupies the space of galleries and museums. He found his own place in virtual space. He began to betray the paper and his precious stillness. I believe that despite this, he will remain himself.” - Eugeniusz Skorwider Eugeniusz Skorwider is currently a professor at UAP, where he heads the Poster Studio. Provisionally, he is attending the programmes installed at HKDI this September, including the Master Lecture and Workshop. Skorwider takes part in competitions and poster presentations worldwide and has received many honourable mentions and awards in Poland and abroad.