Bielska Jesień 2019

The exhibition of the 44th Painting Biennale Bielska Jesień features 115 paintings by 54 artists. The winners will be announced at the opening exhibition on 8 November

The jury of the 44th Painting Biennale Bielska Jesień 2019 met on 10 September in Galeria Bielska BWA to make their classification and evaluation of the original works. The selection was made in an open vote and on the basis of the majority of votes. All of the artists who had been selected by the jury in the first stage of the competition also qualified for the finals and will participate in the exhibition.

The JURY consisted of:
Beata Ewa Białecka – painter (Gdańsk, Rodowo)
Anda Rottenberg – art critic, curator, journalist (Warsaw)
Piotr Rypson, Ph.D – art critic, historian of art and literature, journalist and writer (Warsaw)
– chairman of the jury
Agata Smalcerz – art critic and historian, curator, director of Galeria Bielska BWA (Bielsko-Biała)
Professor Andrzej Tobis – painter, lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice.

The session of the jury was also attended by the curator of the Biennale Grażyna Cybulska – an art historian at Galeria Bielska BWA.

Piotr Rypson, chairman of the jury:
The jury of the 44th Painting Biennale Bielska Jesień 2019 have selected 115 paintings by 54 artists to be presented in the upcoming exhibition. The best artists were awarded three top prizes and five honourable mentions; all details will be provided at a later date.

The jurors repeatedly praised the quality of the submitted works. Most of the artists competing this year belong to a younger generation, and we could observe some pronounced trends in their work. Many painters decided to concentrate on recent political events – public affairs and their ramifications experienced directly by the artists or through mass media. This applied to the symbolic dimension of the work and to what I call the “politics of paintings”. At the other end of the spectrum, there were numerous surreal works, which transfer the viewer to various phantasmagoric landscapes saturated with physiology, sexuality and extreme emotions.

Another interesting category of works comprised representations of present-day realities and their every-day representatives from large cities, provincial areas and Polish villages.
The once-popular landscape painting has now been replaced by visual representations of the overwhelming and all-consuming civilization. It must be noted, however, that Poland is not an isolated island with artists creating what might be called “Polish painting”. In fact, the visual aspect of culture is subject to the same global processes , i.e.: mass media, technology, and pop culture, as in other countries. This is especially evident in works which display absolute mastery of technique whilst drawing profusely on digital technologies.

The results of the competition will be announced during the opening exhibition of the 44th Painting Biennale Bielska Jesień 2019 on 8 November, 2019.

The list of works which have qualified for the final exhibition, reproductions of works and details about the Biennale can be found on the website of Bielska Jesień website.

Awards:
Grand Prix – Award of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage (30,000 zł) and Award of the Director of Galeria Bielska BWA (solo exhibition in the gallery)
2nd Prize – Award of the Marshal of the Province of Silesia (20,000 zł)
3rd Prize – Award of the Mayor of Bielsko-Biała (10,000 zł)
honourable mentions (2,000 zł each)
Additionally, honourable mentions from editorial teams.

The results of the competition will be announced during the opening of exhibition of the 44th Painting Biennale Bielska Jesień 2019 on Friday, 8 November, 2019 at 5 pm.

Guided tour of the exhibition by the jury of the Biennale: Saturday, 9 November, at 11.00.

The exhibition of the 44th Painting Biennale Bielska Jesień runs until 29 December 2019.

______________________________________________________________________

Bielska Jesień 2019 has been co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.