Against War

International Arts Triennial at Majdanek

The exhibition includes over 100 works from among the 7,000 contemporary art pieces preserved in the collections of the State Museum at Majdanek. It was opened on the 30th anniversary of the I International Arts Trenial “Against War” held by the Museum.

Important information

Temporary exhibitionArchival

Exhibition date:30.09.2015 - 11.08.2015
Place:Lublin Castle Museum (now the National Museum in Lublin)
Curator:Danuta Olesiuk, Lechosław Lameński
Language version:Polish

“Beginning with the 4^th Triennial in 1944, the identification mark of this project, branding all prints and materials – including a remarkable catalogue – was the thumb print of Henryk Szulc, a renowned graphic artist from Lublin, who tragically suffered a premature death” – wrote the exhibition curator Lechosław Lameński, professor and head of the Art History Institute at the Catholic University in Lublin.

On a blue sheet of paper, round stones are arranged in a circular pattern, with a photograph of the sea and sky in the center — Raimo Kanerva, Northern light on my mind, coloured screen print, 1995

Triennial

In 1985, the Museum held the 1^st International Arts Triennial “Against War”, though it was limited to graphics and drawing. The contest quickly became a magnet attracting artists from all around the world, promoting Lublin and its visual artistic circles. The first Triennial editions (1985, 1988, 1991) were held under the “Against War” title, which – in order to provide broader artistic freedom – was eventually dropped in the subsequent 1994, 1997, 2000, and 2004 editions. Majdanek became an opportunity to create universal and meaningful works presenting the latest tendencies and trends – both formally and technique-related – which appeared in the Polish, European, and global artistic network at the time.

Two balls made of white fabric, with vertical fabric stripes around them — Masataka Kuroyanagi, Form work..., mezzotint, 1999

Works Selection Criteria

The curators selected the presented works on the basis of their artistic value, universal expression, and various approaches to topics tackling political and artistic transitions of the previous three decades. Those transitions are additionally emphasised through accompanying texts – excerpts from the jury members, art critics, and Triennial participants. Some of them – especially those commenting the absence of peace – remain surprisingly relevant despite the passage of years.

A collage of multiple graphic elements on a rectangular background — Assadour, Archaeologies, etching/aquatint/relief, 1994

Illustration, still life: on the right, a platter with oranges and lemons; in the foreground, lit candles; on the left, a white cube with an oval shape and a fruit with leaves on top — Alicia Scavino, Ofrendas, etching/aquatint/collage, 1995

Authors and Techniques

Among the 58 artists there were: Jiří Anderle, Stanisław Bałdyga, Elżbieta Banecka, Hubert Borys, Jean Cotton, Lex Drewinski, Herman Hebler, Yuji Hiratsuka, Leszek Kiljański, Jinan Kobayashi, Matasaka Kuroyanagi, Piotr Lech, Zbigniew Lutomski, Oskar Manesi, Jamana Masao, Grzegorz D. Mazurek, Maurice Pasternak, Denise Pelletier, Erna Rosenstein, Alicja Scavino, Józef Szajna, Jacek Tybur, Paweł Warchoł, Andrzej Antoni Widelski, Peter Zeiler. The foreign creators came from Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Spain, Japan, Canada, Germany, Norway, Italy, and others. In addition to drawings, entries were submitted using intaglio, planographic, and relief printing techniques, photography, digital printing, and a whole range of computer techniques.

Three men with clearly defined faces, silhouettes outlined with contours — Jiří Anderle, Soldier with Mother and Child, mezzotint/collage, 1981

Important information

Triennial

Works Selection Criteria

Authors and Techniques

Selected works from the Collections of the State Museum at Majdanek that were presented at the “Against War” exhibition