Łódź Kaliska. Łódź Kaliska. The Prophets’ Parade. Group show

The main elements of the project are: a retrospective exhibition presenting the achievements of the Łódź Kaliska group on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of their existence, educational activities in the field of history of art, history of culture and history of Poland, social activities based on propagating patriotic attitudes by stimulating recipients to get involved in a polemic on tradition, teaching critical thinking, inspiring young artists, creating a space for discussion on the condition of Polish art and political, economic and social issues taken up in the artwork of the Łódź Kaliska group.

The exhibition will feature the latest works of the group, including works from the cycles: “The Prophets’ Parade”, “Polonia”, “Feminine Heroism”, “Standing Charge”, “Balladyna Selfie” and a series of retrospective works on the battle subject.

The exhibition at the Art Propaganda Centre has been planned as an integral part of the jubilee celebrations that will last for the whole year 2019, including, among others, opening of three accompanying exhibitions, presenting the group’s activity in particular periods of its existence, a scientific conference and film screenings. All events will take place in Łódź, the city with which the group has been associated from the very beginning.

An important goal of the project is to popularize knowledge about the activities of Łódź Kaliska, a group that has an important position on the cultural map of Łódź and Poland. In order to emphasize that the group has its origin in Łódź, an article will be brought out in the catalogue entitled “Łódź Kaliska in Łódź” by Marta Pierzchała, which will demonstrate the group’s activity in our city. The reportage will give an account of the presence of Łódź Kaliska in museums’ and galleries’ collections, in the club of the Łódź Kaliska Museum and other cafés. Performative actions with the participation of artists, which took place in Łódź, and installations of Łódź Kaliska, permanent or temporary, accompanying cultural events in Łódź over the years will be recalled.

The works by Łódź Kaliska, though embedded in the absurd poetics, also have a profound patriotic value, expressing anxiety and concern about the country’s situation, its tradition and culture. These issues have been raised many times, and they are also present in the reflections of art historians and researchers of the Łódź Kaliska creation.

The exhibition will feature the national-liberation theme present in the artwork of Łódź Kaliska’s members over 40 years. It is a concept that invites you to learn about the social and economic realities of the last four decades in Polish art. In addition, it is an invitation for young culture participants to learn about Polish history and strategies for rebellion and appropriation, both in art and in life. During the exhibition, we want to conduct curatorial tours for groups of school students and the so-called lessons of Łódź Kaliska, i.e. meetings with group members.

The artistic group “Łódź Kaliska” has been continuously active since 1979, including: Marek Janiak, Andrzej Kwietniewski, Adam Rzepecki, Andrzej Świetlik and Andrzej Wielogórski (Makary). Zofia Łuczko has been collaborating with the group since 1983, while Sławek Bit is a member of the Łódź Kaliska artistic group. In 2007 Andrzej Kwietniewski left the group.
Łódź Kaliska devoured cultural scripts, digested all artistic “isms”, gathering the wholesome and most pleasant elements of each cultural cliché – the vigour of the Dadaists, the Surrealistic wit, the leadership drive of the Futurists, the energy of happening and performance, the pop-art fame, glamour and the marketing “genius” apprehended in a modern way. Although for some time the Łódź Kaliska members cooperated with the “old” media avant-garde, due to their anarchist radicalism their paths soon diverged. They took delight in donning masks, seemingly identifying with defied views, decontextualizing the material taken over from visual culture and in having great fun.
Ada Florentyna Pawlak, Good Times [in:] The Prophets’ Parade, State Art Gallery, Sopot 2017, p. 39.