Art Moves 2018
11th International Festival of Art on Billboards
September 1 – October 9, Toruń, Poland

Over the past few years, billboard art has become a cultural “must have”. Billboard exhibitions are being held from Teheran and Mexico City to Paris, Los Angeles and New York. Toruń is one of the pioneers of this trend – Art Moves is the first, and so far the only, cyclical festival promoting this kind of art in the world. “Billboards are unequivocally associated with advertisingall over the world, but not in Toruń – for a few autumn weeks the billboards become anti-billboards, as a manifestation of thought contesting consumerism as well as any forms of intellectual and spiritual submissiveness. England has its conscience-pricking Banksy, and we – thethought-provoking Art Moves festival” – Piotr Sarzyński wrote about the festival in “Polityka” magazine. – Now we work with those ubiquitous, open or hidden advertisements and propaganda – Rafał Góralski from Rusz Gallery, co-creator of the festival, says. Billboard art is like an antidote, a respite and time for reflection in this crazy hurried world. Billboards have a wide coverage, reaching everyone, being pro-democratic and egalitarian, going beyond the life andinformation niches people operate in. They change the city into a large art gallery where art can be usedfree of charge, 24 hours a day / 7 days a week, with no limits or barriers.

– The festival has 3 levels of influence – Joanna Górska from Rusz Gallery, co-creator of the festival, says – we make up a theme and direct it to artists from all over the world, who respond to our question and create their own works. The best of the works are presented in the city space of Toruń. And people, inspired by these works, can find their own ideas for a festival theme. So, we combine what is global with what is local.
This year works relate to the leitmotiv of the entire event: “Who governs our lives: we ourselves, other people or algorithms?”, and were presented on billboards, citylights and LED displays. This competition slogan can be treated as a metaphor of all the processes taking place in the world today. The human world is a collection of individuals that form small groups, societies and the entire human community. What and who decides what we are like and what we do? We ourselves, by making everyday decisions and choosing our own paths of development? Other people, e.g. neighbours, family, politicians, and celebrities who impose their own opinions and preferences on us? Or maybe corporations that use soulless algorithms to follow our lives and invisibly gather any information about us, to tell us what to do, how to behave, what we should look like, who we should vote for, who we should like, and who we should not like? Is there any space for real individuals in the world that apparently praises any individualism, but at the same tries to average all the phenomena, including individual life, and subordinate them to statistics and algorithms? Is development, both individual and collective, possible at all in such a world? Are we doomed to stagnation and omnipresent control? Is life outside the box possible at all in such a world? Or maybe there is some way out? Maybe you know the answer? Who governs our lives: we ourselves or …?

As always, the festival consisted of a competition phase and then a presentation of the artists invited by the organisers. The best works were presented on billboards. 562 artists from 76 countries entered the contest, we received 1024 artworks from Ukraine, USA, China, Taiwan, Philippines, Russia, Cuba, Great Britain, Iran and many others! A lot of works came from Russia and Iran, which shows that this year’s competition slogan is particularly close to the hearts of artists from these countries.
The jury panel composed of artists and curators, including:
Christine Wong Yap )artist / New York, USA), Adam Niklewicz (artist / North Haven, USA), Małgorzata Augustyniak (art historian, vice-president AMS SA / Warsaw, Poland), Joanna Górska (artist, curator, Art Moves Festival art director/ Toruń, Poland)  selected 10 most interesting projects which were exhibited on billboards during the Art Moves Festival 2018. The jury decided to confer the main award to Ying Hsiu, Chen and Hsiang Ying, Chen from Taiwan.

Not only do artists came to grips with the festival slogan. Our spectators were also able to join in the creation – as part of Art Moves Workshop, where workshops for teenagers was conducted. There are also special interactive billboards that allow recipients to take an active part in the festival.

In this edition of the festival, we exhibited the works by 20 artists from 11 countries:
Ying Hsiu, Chen and Hsiang Ying, Chen / Taiwan
Felipe Jácome / Ecuador
Łukasz Mesjasz / Poland
Serra Unal / Italy
Katarzyna Łyszkowska / Poland
Mabi “SELF” Lusala / Czech Republic
Oksana Fedun / Ukraine
Cristian Brinza / Moldova
Adam Bejnarowicz / Poland
Katherine R. Paz and Erick Ginard / Cuba
Wojciech Mazur / Poland
Lakwena Maciver / Great Britain
SpY / Spain
WRDBNR / Spain
Morley / USA
Anthony Burrill / Great Britain
Joanna Górska, Rafał Góralski (Galeria Rusz) / Poland

Festival programme
01.09 – 30.09 – exposition of artworks on citylights located at bus stops (the entire city)
01.09 – 30.09 – exposition of artworks on LED displays Kraszewskiego / Matejki Street, Szosa Chełmińska / Czerwona Droga Street, Skarbka Square)
06.09 – 09.10– exposition of artworks on billboards (Rapackiego Square, Chopina Street, Wały gen. Sikorskiego Street / CCA, Szosa Chełmińska Street / City Market)
06.09 – 09.10 – Art Moves Workshop / workshops for teenagers / interactive billboards for children, teenagers and adults (Rapackiego Square)
08.09,12 pm – opening of the festival (Rapackiego Square)
08.09, 12-13pm – Rusz Gallery artistic performance (Rapackiego Square)

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

Partners and media sponsorship: AMS SA., MZK w Toruniu Sp. z o.o., TVK Toruń, TVP3 Bydgoszcz, Radio Gra, Magazyn Arteon, portal Spod Kopca, Kampanie Społeczne, Marketing przy Kawie, Signs.pl, Dzień Dobry Toruń