The "Wena" Gallery

On March 15, 2024, at the Starak Family Foundation's Wena Gallery at 8 Bobrowiecka Street in Warsaw—a space created for the presentation of the youngest art—the opening of the first temporary exhibition of works by art school students, awarded and distinguished at the Biennial of Self-Portraiture in Drawing, took place.

The organizers of the Biennial were the Center for Artistic Education in Warsaw and the Józef Brandt School of Fine Arts in Radom.

At the opening, we welcomed Iwona Skowron, deputy director of the CEA, and Urszula Januszewska, inspector of the Mazovia Region. We were very pleased to hear Director Skowron's words of appreciation for the Foundation's activities in the “Wena” Grant Program and the initiative to organize an exhibition of students' works in a place often visited due to the publicly accessible collection of Anna and Jerzy Starak.

Poster for the first temporary exhibition at the Wena Gallery by Monika Zietkowska, Design LLC 

 

 

We welcomed Tomasz Kiliański, director of the School of Fine Arts in Radom, Bartłomiej Kopiński, deputy director for arts education, Jakub Strzelecki, surrealist artist and drawing and painting teacher at the Biennale, Anna Symela, drawing, painting, and design teacher, as well as artist, painter, and teacher Edyta Jaworska-Kowalska, who runs the educational and artistic project “Take a look,” awarded in the fourth edition of the Starak Family Foundation's ‘Wena’ Grant Program Competition entitled “The Art of Repairing the World.”

 

 

Opening of the first temporary exhibition at the Wena Gallery Starak Family Foundation / Spectra Edu was honored by the presence of dr Elżbieta Staniszewska, a long-time teacher of drawing and painting at the Józef Brandt School of Fine Arts in Radom, an artist specializing in artistic textiles, sculpture, and installations, whose overarching theme is the need to protect the natural environment.

 

For years, dr Staniszewska has supported young people and teachers in the implementation of educational and artistic projects in the field of art history theory, e.g., in the project entitled “Take a look,” carried out by an artist from Radom, awarded in the fourth edition of the “Wena” Grant Program Competition of the Starak Family Foundation. Although she is no longer an active teacher, Dr. Staniszewska is interested in school life, artistic events, and the artistic development of students, and she shares her professional experience with the high school community as a guest lecturer. Thank you, Dr. Staniszewska, for coming and sharing your reflections from the opening.

 

On Friday, March 15, I attended the opening of an exhibition of selected works by participants in the 9th edition of the Self-Portrait Biennial in drawing techniques at secondary art schools, organized by the Józef Brandt School of Fine Arts in Radom and the Center for Artistic Education. The works are on display at the headquarters of the Starak Family Foundation in Warsaw. I had the great pleasure of viewing the collection of works of art by Anna and Jerzy Starak, made available to visitors, together with the participants of the ceremony. This private collection is impressive. In front of the Starak Family Foundation headquarters, we can admire a sculpture by Igor Mitoraj (his characteristic figurative form—a torso cast in bronze). Inside, on the ground floor of the building, there is a permanent exhibition of works from this collection, prepared under curatorial supervision and made available to viewers. A new feature is the display of works in the usable space, in the passageways of this multi-story, modern office building. We can consider this way of exhibiting works of art as an interpretation that meets the aesthetic views of Richard Shusterman (“Pragmatic Aesthetics,” 1998). He convinces the reader that art should be part of our everyday lives, providing us with aesthetic experiences and motivating us in our daily activities. This is an added, intangible value that increases work efficiency, improves interpersonal relationships, and motivates. My attention was drawn to the Foundation's non-market activities. These are cyclical scholarship programs dedicated to secondary art school students and graduates of art colleges. Outside of the school program, secondary school students and art students carry out collective artistic activities under the supervision of their teachers (previously selected and qualified by the FRS Wena Commission). Scholarship holders who are already graduates of art colleges carry out their own programs after they have been approved for implementation by the Foundation. We have many private collections, but there is no space in them for young artists to exhibit their work. It is very gratifying that the Foundation's building has a space dedicated to the creative activities of the youngest professional artists. They are anonymous after graduating from college. Outside of college, they often feel alienated and insecure. The Starak Family Foundation encourages them to pursue art.

 

I congratulate you on the results of your activities. I hope that this model of philanthropy and pro bono activities will serve as an example for others.

 

/Elżbieta Staniszewska/

 

 

 

 

dr Elżbieta Staniszewska

 

 

 

 

*dr Elżbieta Staniszewska jest radomianką. W 1982 roku ukończyła studia w Państwowej Wyższej Szkole Sztuk Plastycznych w Poznaniu, dyplom z rysunku u prof. Jarosława Kozłowskiego i gobelinu u prof. Magdaleny Abakanowicz oraz etnografię na UAM w Poznaniu w 1990. Doktor nauk humanistycznych z zakresu filozofii. Jej zainteresowania naukowe to historia i estetyka designu, sztuka współczesna w kontekście antropologii kulturowej, filozofii kultury i estetyki.

Jest autorką ponad czterdziestu ekspozycji muzealnych, a swoją twórczość przedstawiała na wystawach indywidualnych, ma także udział w blisko pięćdziesięciu zbiorowych. Wieloletni pracownik muzeów (Muzeum Narodowym Rolnictwa w Szreniawie, Muzeum Wsi Radomskiej), była adiunktem na Wydziale Sztuki Uniwersytetu Technologiczno-Humanistycznego w Radomiu i nauczycielką rysunku i malarstwa w ZSP im. J. Brandta w Radomiu. Jest autorką ponad 40 publikacji, nagradzana za działalność muzealniczą.

Witold Bujakowski, head of the Radom branch of the Mazovian Provincial Conservator of Monuments, also attended the opening. We were pleased to welcome Agnieszka Tyrman from the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Częstochowa, a teacher of graphic techniques and graphic design, coordinator of the “Mała Forma Designerska” competition and the educational and social project “Kultura nie boli” (Culture Doesn't Hurt). The works (a collection of posters) from the 8th edition of the “Culture Doesn't Hurt” campaign are on permanent display at the “Wena” Gallery. The opening was attended by Paweł Kasprzak, director of PLSP in Warsaw, as well as a delegation of young art enthusiasts and humanists from High School No. 163 in Warsaw-Wesoła, led by teacher and contemporary art promoter Beata Bielska-Karwot.

The exhibition was opened by Wiesława Giedrojć, Member of the Board of the Starak Family Foundation. 

From left: Leszek Ruszczyk, director of the Jacek Malczewski Museum in Radom,
Bartłomiej Kopiński, deputy director for arts education at the ZSP in Radom,
Witold Bujakowski, head of the Radom branch
of the Mazovian Provincial Conservator of Monuments. 

It is no coincidence that the Biennial Self-Portrait in Drawing competition is held in Radom – the city of master Jacek Malczewski, whose domain was self-portraiture. Museum director Leszek Ruszczyk and the curatorial team attended the opening. We were pleased to hear congratulations and expressions of appreciation for creating a space for the presentation of the youngest art. Perhaps we will inspire others, and in the future, galleries and museums will open up to young artists and art school students, supporting their artistic development.

The Self-Portrait Biennial has a long tradition and is one of the few dedicated to the technique of drawing. The works presented at the temporary exhibition at the Wena Gallery are unique, selected from among 647 works by a jury consisting of Prof. Joanna Trzcińska, Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź – Jury Chair, and members Prof. Andrzej Gręda, Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, and Prof. Rafał Borcz, Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow.

Drawing is extremely important in the artistic education of young people. As Biennale Commissioner Jakub Strzelecki says: A pencil and a piece of paper are the most important medium for an artist, and the best ideas come in a moment.

Wiktoria Mrozik, a student at ZSP in Radom, with her work – Third Prize at the Biennale

Dmitry Kuraskin from ZSP in Radom and his award-winning work

The award-winning works are self-portraits full of emotion. The Grand Prix Biennale is a face divided into two parts. What emotion can a scream express? The author of the work is only 16 years old. Great sensitivity and talent, says Wiesława Giedrojć, Member of the Board of the Starak Family Foundation.

We were honored by the presence of the students from Radom whose works were awarded and distinguished. Congratulations to all the winners of the 9th National Biennale of Self-Portraiture in Drawing.

The following selection of works was presented at the temporary exhibition:

Grand Prix – Magdalena Ćwiklińska, 16, PLSP Koszalin, supervised by Agnieszka Sieńkowska

First Prize – Karina Lewicka, 18, PLSP Płock, supervised by Anna Macionek-Stańko

Second Prize, diptych – Katarzyna Jantoszak, 19, PLSP Koszalin, supervised by Tadeusz Walczak 

Third Prize – Wiktoria Mrozik, 18, ZSP Radom, supervised by Jakub Strzelecki

Third Prize – Jakub Burdziński, age 20, PLSP Kościelec, supervised by Agnieszka Arasimowicz

Biennale Commissioner Jakub Strzelecki's Prize – Tomasz Barszcz, ZSP Radom, supervised by Edyta Jaworska-Kowalska

Honorable Mention – Zuzanna Pająk, age 16, ZSP Radom, supervised by Anna Symela

Honorable Mention – Kinga Fiołek, age 19, ZSP Rzeszów, supervised by Aneta Martowska-Topór 

Honorable mention – Laura Erecińska, age 16, PLSP Gdynia, supervised by Józef Karczewski

Honorable mention – Marta Myślińska, age 18, ZPPKP Opole, supervised by Zbigniew Natkaniec 

Honorable mention – Anna Kwiecień, age 19, PLSP Lublin, supervised by Grzegorz Tomczyk

Honorable mention – Martyna Kaszyca, 19, LSP Wrocław, taught by Agnieszka Traczyńska

Honorable mention – Jakub Woźniak, 16, PLSP Gdynia, taught by Józef Karczewski

Honorable mention – Amelia Rewucha, 18, PLSP Zamość, taught by Dorota Jasek 

Honorable mention – Dmitrij Kuraskin, age 15, ZSP Radom, supervised by Anna Symela

Honorable mention – Sebastian Kurkowiak, age 17, LSP Kalisz, supervised by Izabela Symanowicz

Zuzanna Najbert, 16, PLSP Poznań, teacher: Alicja Chabowska

Aleksandra Szumnarska, 18, PLSP Poznań, teacher: Beata Maldzis

Maja Piotrowska, 15, PLSP Nałęczów, art. Łukasz Głowacki 

Agata Drygas, 15, LSP Wrocław, art. Ewa Orzeszyna 

Maja Kot, 17, ZSP Radom, art. Jakub Strzelecki

Zofia Sochacka, 18, PLSP Kościelec, art teacher Aleksandra Kacprzak

Konstancja Lorek, 15, LSP Wrocław, art teacher Katarzyna Rutkowska

Julia Piechna, 17, ZSBiP Grudziądz, art teacher Urszula Kulczyk

Tomasz Barszcz from the Józef Brandt School of Fine Arts in Radom with his award-winning work,
photo: Edyta Jaworska
BIENNALE COMMISSIONER'S AWARD Jakub Strzelecki 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HONORABLE MENTION
Anna Kwiecień, age 19
CK Norwid State High School of Fine Arts in Lublin
supervised by artist Grzegorz Tomczyk

 

 

 

 

 

HONORABLE MENTION
Marta Myślińska, age 18
Jan Cybis State Art Education Center in Opole
supervised by artist Zbigniew Natkaniec

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the opening of the exhibition, we invited our guests to a guided tour of Anna and Jerzy Starak's collection of contemporary art, which can be used as a basis for art history and subject-specific lessons.

 

 

 

 

The Wena Gallery is the perfect place for the works of young artists to see the light of day. From our experience of working with schools and talking directly to students, we know how important it is for them to be able to present their work to the public outside of school. We are proud that such unique works of art by the youngest artists can be displayed outside the school studio, in the “Wena” Gallery, in the vicinity of Maurycy Gomulicki's “Diament.”

We wish these young artists—these diamonds in the rough—continued success. If you want to see the best drawings by the youngest artists, be sure to visit the Wena Gallery. Temporary exhibition: March 15-April 18, 2024.