“What should we appreciate in these uncertain times?”. The 15th jubilee edition of the Art Moves International Festival of Billboard Art was started.
This year, the festival was organised in Toruń for the fifteenth time. Unfortunately, still in a truncated and crisis form due to the war, pandemic and the resulting economic crisis that has hit hard culture and art. Despite this, we do not give up, and we have prepared a huge chunk of visual reflections created by artists from all over the world. They concern a very important issue: “Love or hatred? Truth or falsehood? What should we appreciate in these uncertain times?” Like every year, during the festival, the city space of Toruń show the works of talented debutants and renowned international artists.
Despite the fact that our everyday life is filled with an overwhelming sense of uncertainty and concern about an increasingly unpredictable future, this year our festival focuses on “appreciating”. Why? Firstly, this is the 15th anniversary of this event and we appreciate the fact that it has existed for so long and thanks to our partners – the Local Government of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province and the Commune of the City of Toruń – despite unfavourable times for culture and art, we have organised this important 15th edition. Secondly, we appreciate that over these years the festival has become a very significant place on the cultural map of Toruń, Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province, Poland and the world. Thirdly, we appreciate that both artists from all over the world, who enthusiastically participate in subsequent editions of the festival, and the audience always look forward to a new festival theme and September. With a new school year, billboard art flourishes in the public space of Toruń and can be admired on the way to school and work, or during a special Sunday walk spent on contemplating and thinking about works by artists from all over the world.
Appreciating – this simple and at the same time challenging thought process (as we live in the culture of complaining and underappreciating) is important not only for us organisers of the jubilee edition, but also for individuals, societies and the global community. Appreciating important and great things, but also those inconspicuous, ordinary and everyday ones, helps us find power to overcome difficulties and raise hopes for future. Looking for support in what matters to us is particularly important in these uncertain times. So, it is worth devoting some of our valuable time to contemplate art and find our own answer to the question: What should we appreciate in uncertain times?
The artworks are exhibite in the city space of Toruń on billboards, citylights and LED displays. The model of presenting art in the city space works especially well in times of the crisis related to the epidemic as it allows recipients to safely participate in culture, without risking their health. For one month the city space will turn into a unique art gallery with valuable works, free of charge and available 24h/7. In this way, the works make a noise in the world and reach a wide audience, even those recipients who do not visit traditional art galleries and museums.
As always, the festival consists of a competition phase and then a presentation of the artists invited by the organisers. The best works are presente on billboards. Leitmotifs of our festivals always correspond with social processes and phenomena that shape the contemporary world. They stem from a deep sociological, psychological and philosophical reflection, and express our care of the shape of reality we are living in. International artists are largely interested in the competition and festival, which indicates the mesmerising potential of the idea of this event, and of public space that serves for deep reflections and social communication.
This year works relate to the leitmotiv of the entire event: Love or hatred? Truth or falsehood? What should we appreciate in these uncertain times? 406 artists from 71 countries entered the contest “Love or hatred? Truth or falsehood? What should we appreciate in these uncertain times?”. We received 736 artworks from Europe, Africa, North and South America, Australia and Asia!
Recent months and years have been marked by constant uncertainty. Lives of individuals and whole societies are no longer predictable. We are facing one crisis after another, without any break. The pandemic is not over yet, and the war in Ukraine broke out. Reality looks unstable, unpredictable, full of chaos and turmoil. Particular societies and the entire humanity need to face never-ending challenges, dangers and disasters. How should we live in these tough times and reinvent ourselves? What is important? What can help us make sense of what is going on, what we are experiencing and what we are going through? How to find hope? What can we rely on and what should we choose? What should we stand for? There are loads of questions about what kind of world we want and what reality we would like to live in. In the world based on the rules of love or hatred, truth or falsehood? What should we appreciate in these uncertain times?
The jury panel composed of artists and curators, including:
Adam Niklewicz / artist / North Haven, Connecticut, USA
Mark Titchner / artist / London, Great Britain
Małgorzata Augustyniak / art historian, vice-president AMS SA / Warsaw, Poland
Joanna Górska / artist, curator, Art Moves Festival art director/ Toruń, Poland
selected 6 most interesting projects which are exhibite on billboards during the Art Moves Festival 2022.
Here is the list of honoured artists:
Michał Stachacz / Poland
Chia Hsiang Lee / Taiwan
Alireza Nosrati / Iran
Wei Su / Canada
Burak Sahin / Turkey
Junjun Fan / China
The Main Award of 4000 PLN receives Michał Stachacz from Poland.
Michał Stachacz / Poland – the winner of the competition
Alireza Nosrati / Iran
Burak Sahin / Turkey
Galeria Rusz / Poland / Idea
Galeria Rusz / Poland / Prophecy
Lex Drewinski / Germany / Poland
Mark Titchner / Great Britain
In this edition of the festival, we exhibit the works by 32 artists from 12 countries:
The show on the billboards, citylightes and on the LED screen:
Michał Stachacz / Poland
Chia Hsiang Lee / Taiwan
Alireza Nosrati / Iran
Wei Su / Canada
Burak Sahin / Turkey
Junjun Fan / China
Mark Titchner / Great Britain
Lex Drewinski / Germany / Poland
Adam Niklewicz / USA
Zuo Biao Peng / China
Joanna Górska (Galeria Rusz) / Poland
Rafał Góralski (Galeria Rusz) / Poland
The works of the following artists will be presented in the special show, on the pillar:
Anita Korynek / Poland
Behnam Nasrollahzadeh / Iran
Birhenia Bani / Philippines
Chia-Yu Hsu / Taiwan
Dawid Celek / Germany
Huang Wenfeng / China
Katarzyna Panek / Poland
Kfir Weizman / Israel
Lex Drewinski Germany / Poland
Magdalena Krukowska / Poland
Magdalena Dylak / Poland
Michał Łącki / Poland
Piotr Parda / USA
Sławomir Rogowski / Poland
Sojung Kim / Australia
Szymon Szymankiewicz / Poland
Weronika Jakubowska / Poland
Wojciech Janicki / Poland
Wojtek Mazur / Poland
Zuo Biao Peng / China
Art Moves Festival is held under the honorary patronage of Piotr Całbecki, Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region and Michał Zaleski, President of Toruń
The festival has been co-funded by the Local Authorities of Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region and Toruń Municipality
