The community or the individual? Support or control? Reflection in a time of crisis

September is a very important period for international billboard art as this is when the only billboard art festival has been held for six years. It is organised by the artists from Galeria Rusz, Joanna Górska and Rafał Góralski, who have been running the billboard gallery in Toruń, Poland for fourteen years. This is the longest-running billboard gallery in the world. This unique experience influences their works as well as the shape and form of the Art Moves festival, which focuses on the idea of reflective art. This art tries to analyse the existential and social situation of contemporary individuals that live in a very rapidly changing and increasingly global world. The festival presents works referring both to social phenomena and psychological processes that influence individuals’ and societies’ lives.

The 6th edition of Art Moves Festival focuses on the community matter and on the complicated relation between an individual and a community. Currently, we are experiencing crisis; however, it is not only, as it may seem, economic crisis but it has a wider significance – social and cultural. On the greater level we deal with the community crisis. In the state of crisis, there are also big communities such as European Union, as well as particular state communities and micro communities, for example, family. Some forms of community are in crisis, others thrive. Such new forms of communal coexistence certainly include all kinds of the Internet communities, for instance, social network which achieves a triumph of popularity. The question about community and the relation between this what collective and what individual is truly up-to-date. We will show a lot of interesting works concerning this topic on the festival.

Iranian billboards in Toruń
A sector devoted to Iranian art holds a special place in this year’s show – we will present the works of as many as 5 artists from Iran. On the one hand, contemporary Iran is a country where problems and tension between the individual and the community become apparent in an extremely dramatic way. On the other hand, this is a place that radiates creative energy. In Iran it has not been forgotten what art is used for!

That reminds us of the situation in Poland behind the Iron Curtain – despite being isolated and separated from the rest of the world, Polish culture was developing at a very rapid pace and radiating outside. This is when the Polish School of Posters and the Polish Film School were established, and culture did not come down to simple entertainment. First and foremost, it was the language of resistance, communication and “discussion” about important issues.

10 best competition works and 10 works of renowned artists we will exhibit as usually on Rapacki Square and Chopin Street. We will also present 2 works at the street LED display screen, at the intersection of Kraszewski and Matejko Streets. In this edition of the festival, we will exhibit the works of 19 artists from 9 countries:

The main exhibition:
Jerzy Kosałka / Poland
Alireza Nosrati / Iran
Sina Fakour / Iran
Saleh Zanganeh / Iran
Mahdi Vafayi / Iran
Christopher Scott / Ecuador
Agnieszka Ziemiszewska / Poland
Joanna Górska / Poland
Rafał Góralski / Poland

The competition exhibition:
Thomas Rousset / France
Leah Rosenberg / USA
Ju-ah Kwon / USA
Alain Schibli / Switzerland
Xiaoliang Lin / China
Paweł Caban / Poland
Dik Him Fung / China
Majid Soleymani / Iran
Sasha Priymak / Ukraine
Lex Drewinski / Germany / Poland

Billboard Art Contest attracts interest from artists around the world
401 artists from 55 countries entered the contest “The community or the individual? Support or control?”. We received 750 art works from the Islamic Republic of Iran, Macedonia, China, South Korea, India, Indonesia, France, the Netherlands, Vietnam, Turkey and many others! The jury panel composed of artists and curators, including: Susan O’Malley (artist, curator, California, USA), Adam Niklewicz (artist, Connecticut, USA), Rafał Góralski (artist, curator, Art Moves Festival director, Poland) selected 10 most interesting projects which will be exhibited on billboards in the competition component of Art Moves Festival 2013. The jury decided to confer the main award of 7000 PLN to Thomas Rousset from France.

The opening
The official opening ceremony of the festival will take place on September 6, at 12 pm on Rapacki Square, Toruń, Poland. The event will be accompanied by the artistic performance of Galeria Rusz. From September 6 till October 7, 20 art works will be exhibited on specially prepared billboards on Rapacki Square, as well as LED displays.

Festival programme:
September 6, 12 pm – festival’s opening, Rapacki Square
September 6, 12 – 2 pm – Galeria Rusz’s artistic performance
September 6–October 7 – expositions of art works on billboards – main exhibition and competition exhibition (Rapacki Square, Chopin Street)
September 6–October 5 – expositions of art works on LED screen (Kraszewski Street/ Matejko Street)

Art Moves Festival was held under the honorary patronage of Juliusz Gojło Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland to the Islamic Republic of Iran and Michał Zaleski, President of Toruń.

The festival has been co-funded by the Local Authorities of Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region and Toruń Municipality.
The art works on Rapacki Square and Chopin Street are displayed on AMS SA billboards.

Partners: Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tehran, Foundation Lech Walesa Institute „Solidarity with Iran”, STGU, CityCelebrity.ru

Media sponsorship: AMS SA., aktualnekonkursy.pl, graphiccompetitions.com, Artysta.pl, TV Toruń, Radio Pik, Arteon, Artluk, rynekisztuka.pl, Design Attack, Independent.pl, O.pl, kampaniespołeczne.pl, gdziesiewybrac.pl, maszwolne.pl, marketingprzykawie.pl, cowtoruniu.pl, kulturalnytoruń.pl.

Contact: artmoves@o2.pl
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Art-Moves-Festival/222833667733103?ref=hl

401 artists from 55 countries entered the contest “The community or the individual? Support or control?”.  We received 750 art works from Europe, Africa, North and South America, Australia and Asia! The jury panel composed of artists and curators, including:

Susan O’Malley / artist, curator, San Jose, California, USA
Adam Niklewicz / artist, North Haven, Connecticut, USA
Rafał Góralski / artist, curator, Art Moves Festival director, Toruń, Poland

selected 10 most interesting projects which will be exhibited on billboards in the competition component of Art Moves Festival 2013. Here is the list of honoured artists:

Thomas Rousset / France
Leah Rosenberg / USA
Ju-ah Kwon / USA
Alain Schibli / Switzerland
Xiaoliang Lin / China
Paweł Caban / Poland
Dik Him Fung / China
Majid Soleymani / Iran
Sasha Priymak / Ukraine
Lex Drewinski / Germany / Poland

The jury decided to confer the main award of 7000 PLN to Thomas Rousset from France.

The Festival starts on 6-th of September.

Congratulation for the authors of singled out works! Obviously, there have been many more examples worthy of display, it would be simply impossible, however, to present them all, even for technical reasons. We would like to say „Thank you” all artists who submitted their works and invite them for checking up for next year’s topic.

Check up for this year’s topic! “The community or the individual? Support or control?”

There is no entry fee. The Competition is open and all artists interested in billboard art are invited to take part. The works should be submitted by the 22 July 2013, 00:00 CET via electronic mail to the address: artmoves(at)tlen.pl

10 most interesting works will be displayed on billboards in the city space during the Art Moves Festival in September / October 2013 in Torun, Poland. The author of the most interesting work will receive the Main Award in the amount of PLN 7.000 (about EUR 1.660, USD 2.150).

Artists are invited to prepare an artwork in response to this year’s competition theme “The community or the individual? Support or control?”

The competition slogan can be treated as a metaphor of all the processes taking place in the world at the moment. For thousands of years people have been living in communities. The community was helping individuals survive and the fate of the individual was largely dependent on the community. At the same time, while co-creating the community, the individual had an influence on the fate of the community. Thanks to the common effort of the members of the tribe, it was possible to hunt animals or repulse enemies – the individual would not have been able to survive in that world on his/her own.

Nevertheless currently, along with social, technological and economic changes as well as in the face of contemporary individualism, this interdependence between the individual and the community is not so obvious. Which is more important today: the individual or the community? Are we able to live entirely independently, beyond any communities? Are communities, both the big ones (national or ethnic) and the small ones (neighbouring, peer or family), in the state of crisis?

Can we function as unconnected individuals, without any lasting ties or common identity? And what if this is impossible? How to build the community that would give particular individuals the possibility for development? Should the community support or rather control individuals? On the other hand, has one person the right to control the entire community? How to find the balance? On what principles should the global human community be based so that we could all function in it? Which is more important: The community or the individual? Support or control?

For more information see the Competition Rules.

Competition Rules                                                                                                                Entry Form