Art Moves‘ 2nd International Festival of Art on Billboards
October / November 2009, Torun, Poland
Art Moves 2009 took on a new, large dimension – over 1000 m2 of art was exhibited in the urban space! For the first time we displayed huge works of art mounted on blocks of flats. The largest of the festival’s works – a mega billboard by Edward Burtynsky, was over 250 m2 and it was displayed on the building formerly housing the Culinary School, at the intersection of Sienkiewicza and Broniewskiego streets in Torun. During the festival, works of twenty artists from eleven countries of the world (Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Israel, South Africa, Slovakia, China, Russia, Hungary, United Arab Emirates, Poland) were presented in two sets – the main set and the contest set.
Main exhibition:
- Edward Burtynsky / Canada
- Mark Titchner / United Kingdom
- Paul Antick / United Kingdom
- Abrie Fourie / South Africa / Germany
- Haimi Fenichel / Israel
- Visionary Images / Australia
- Paweł Jarodzki / Poland
- Jerzy Kosałka / Poland
- Joanna Górska / Poland
- Rafał Góralski / Poland
Contest exhibition:
- Barbora Novotna / Slovakia
- Paul Nolan / Australia
- Yuen Nam Choi / China
- Raed Skaik / United Arab Emirates
- Agnieszka Popek-Banach / Poland
- K1SS Ferenc / Hungary
- Yana Ahmetshina / Russia
- Magdalena Pagińska / Poland
- Kamil Banach / Poland
- Aleksander Bąk / Poland
In 2009, for the first time, the festival was accompanied by a Competition of Art on Billboards, the main idea of which is to encourage young artists to create new art engaged in the present reality. The competition was addressed to young, talented artists and art students. Participants were invited to create work of art in response to the competition theme „Is Everything Interlinked?” Altogether, 306 entries were submitted by 178 artists from 33 countries of the world. The jury composed of artists and art curators, recognized authorities in the area of public art, including:
- Paweł Jarodzki (artist, art curator, Professor of the Wrocław University of Fine Arts),
- Paul Antick (artist, photographer and Senior Lecturer at Roehampton University, London),
- Maria Filippow (artist, art curator, Visionary Images, Melbourne),
- Rafał Góralski (Galeria Rusz artist, Art Moves Festival Director)
selected ten best works which were exhibited in the competition component of the Festival. The author of the most interesting work – Barbora Novotna received an award of PLN 7,000 funded by the Marshal of Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region.
Every year we strive for the festival to become a meeting place of all people united by the social approach to art. In 2009 we organized a meeting with artists and art curators entitled „Art for Art’s Sake or Art for People: Actions Surpassing the Rigid Borders of Art, Boldly Interfering with the Social Tissue”. Such initiatives are important since they create an opportunity to share experiences and to get to know noteworthy actions in the public realm better, as well as they become a conveyor of new ideas.
The meeting was attended by:
- Maria Filippow / Visionary Images / Melbourne, Australia
- Paul Antick / Roehampton University / London, UK
- Beata Jaszczak / Festiwal Podwórko / Galeria Oto ja / Płock, Poland
- Jacek Markiewicz / Galeria A.R.T. / Stowarzyszenie Oto ja / Płock, Poland
During the festival a documentary feature film was shown, perfectly and in a beautiful way supplementing the works of Edward Burtynsky displayed in the urban environment. The film told a story of the artist’s trip to China where his festival works, among others, were created.
Another new event at the festival was an art poster action entitled „Art close by” involving the people of Toruń, particularly residents of the Bydgoskie Przedmieście and Old Town districts. The residents were invited to become part of the art exhibition space by displaying posters (specially produced for this purpose by Galeria Rusz) in their house, shop or office windows.
A very emotional event for us was the exhibition celebrating 10 years of the Rusz Gallery entitled: „Ołowiany Charakter” (Leaden Character). This exhibition was a special event preceding the festival and was thought as a specific, unique introduction to it.