THE 16TH NATIONAL BIENNALE OF DRAWINGS AND PAINTINGS BY STUDENTS OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF FINE ARTS

What inspires young visual artists? How do they perceive reality? The exhibition at Galeria Bielska BWA will showcase the most interesting works created by students of secondary schools.

The National Biennale of Drawing and Painting for Students of Secondary Schools of Fine Arts is a long-standing competition organised by the Julian Fałat Secondary School of Fine Arts in Bielsko-Biała and the Centre for Art Education in Warsaw, which aims to present and confront the work of young people and their artistic skills in various areas, including observation and interpretation of nature, which students have acquired through their drawing and painting classes.

An extremely important aim of the biennale is to draw attention to the current aspirations and character of the students' works and their inspirations, which reflect the current reality as well as the sensitivity of contemporary young people," emphasises Agata Ruman, Ph.D., an artist and deputy director of the Secondary School of Arts in Bielsko-Biała.

 The results of the 16th Biennale have been decided by a committee of experts who are both recognised artists and art teachers.

The photograph shows the members of the Competition Jury during their deliberations; 
left to right: Prof. Dr Sławomir Brzoska – chairman of the commission, Dr Witold Stelmachniewicz – Associate Professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, Prof. Jacek Rykała, Prof. Maria Targońska.

Photo by Joanna Chudy

 

In total, the 16th Biennale has received 578 entries, including 234 drawings and 344 paintings by students of 39 secondary schools of art.

After reviewing all the works, the jury selected the most interesting ones, awarding prizes and honourable mentions in the categories of painting and drawing and qualifying the works for the post-competition exhibition.

Here are the winners of the main awards:

GRAND PRIX – Jakub Klama, Suburb, The Jacek Malczewski State Secondary School of Visual Arts in Częstochowa, teacher in charge Piotr Kaniecki

PAINTING:
FIRST PRIZE – Zuzanna Olszewska, Self-portrait, The Leon Wyczółkowski Secondary School of Art in Bydgoszcz, teacher in charge: Małgorzata Maciejewska
SECOND PRIZE – Stanisław Dąbrowski, Line 20, The Tadeusz Kantor Secondary School of Art in Dąbrowa Górnicza, teacher in charge: Damian Pacha
THIRD PRIZE – Wiktoria Przegendza, Landscape, The Józef Pankiewicz Secondary School of Art in Katowice, teacher in charge: Piotr Kossakowski

DRAWING:
FIRST PRIZE – Agata Wierzbicka, Back Room of Imagination, The Julian Fałat Secondary School of Art in Bielsko-Biała, teacher in charge: Klaudia Lata
SECOND PRIZE – Weronika Ziółkowska, Child, The Magdalena Abakanowicz Secondary School of Art in Gdynia, teacher in charge: Tomasz Sójka
THIRD PRIZE – Zuzanna Tatara, Shaman Woman, The Julian Fałat Secondary School of Art in Bielsko-Biała, teacher in charge: Iwona Korus; Gabriela Wiśniewska, Self-portrait, The Władysław Hasior Secondary School of Art in Koszalin, teacher in charge: Piotr Wasilewski

The biennale culminates with a post-competition exhibition in the main exhibition hall of Galeria Bielska BWA in Bielsko-Biała.

The biennale will be accompanied by the National Exhibition of Works by Teachers of Artistic Subjects of Secondary Art Schools entitled “Artefacts”. The exhibition, which is curated by Agata Ruman, will be presented in the lower hall of the Gallery. Another feature scheduled to accompany the biennale is an the exhibition of works by Maja Sawicka, the winner of the 15th Biennale, which will be held at Cafe Club Aquarium.

The opening of the post-competition exhibition of the 16th National Biennale of Drawing and Painting of Secondary Art School Students and the two accompanying exhibitions will take place on Friday, 1 March 2024. The start time is 11 a.m.

The 16th National Biennale of Drawing and Painting of Secondary Art School Students

Galeria Bielska BWA (upper room)
1 March – 7 April 2024
opening: Friday, 1 March, 11 a.m.


Read more about the exhibition “Artefacts” >>
Read more about Maja Sawicka’s exhibition “Painting” >>

 Read about the previous biennale, see photo reports and reproductions of award-winning works >>