Exhibition on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the partnership between the cities of Poznań and Shenzhen
Exhibition duration: December 1, 2023 – February 4, 2024
Place: Śluza Gallery, ul. Dziekańska 2, 61-108 Poznań
Organizers: University of Arts. Magdalena Abakanowicz in Poznań, Guan Shanyue Museum in Shenzhen, Poznań Art Week Festival, Fringe Festival Shenzhen, Poznań Heritage Center
Project co-financed by the Poznań City Hall (Department of City Development and International Cooperation)
#Poznanwspiera
Curators: Mateusz Bieczyński, Eric Zhu
Artists participating in the exhibition:
1983ASIA (Shenzhen, China)
Agata Kulczyk (Poznan, Poland)
Du Fengsong (Shenzhen, China)
Grzegorz Myćka (Poznan, Poland)
Huang Yang (Shenzhen, China)
Liao Bofeng (Shenzhen, China)
Marcin Markowski (Poznan, Poland)
Piotr Marzol (Poznan, Poland)
Wang Yuefei (Shenzhen, China)
Wojciech Janicki (Poznan, Poland)
Logo identification project for cooperation between cities: Agata Kulczyk
Exhibition identification design: Agata Kulczyk, Marcin Markowski
Exhibition arrangement: Rafał Górczyński
Curatorial text
The exhibition “5+5 – Polish and Chinese graphic design” was organized on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the partnership between the cities of Poznań and Shenzhen. It presents unique poster designs made by artists from both agglomerations. They are characterized by a wealth of artistic forms and styles, and also represent various cultural concepts. The exhibition, which is the result of cooperation between Poznań and Chinese creative communities, shows that culture and art can connect even the most distant corners of the world and constitute a platform for cultural exchange and mutual learning between countries.
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To present the history that led to the preparation of the Poznań exhibition at the Śluza Gallery, we need to go back to July 30, 1993. It was then that the Poznań authorities signed a city partnership agreement with the Chinese Shenzhen. In 2023, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of this cooperation. On this occasion, as part of the Poznań Art Week festival, a competition was organized for the graphic identification of the celebration. The winner was Agata Kulczyk, who proposed a sign referring to the Chinese script and the round anniversary of the international agreement.
The exhibition “5+5 – Polish and Chinese graphic design” is another event honoring this 30-year cooperation and cultural exchange. In order to organize it, the Rector of the University of Arts. Magdalena Abakanowicz in Poznań prof. Wojciech Hora signed a special agreement with the Guan Shanyue Museum in Shenzhen. The premiere of the Chinese edition of the exhibition took place on July 30, 2023 – exactly on the thirtieth anniversary of signing the partnership agreement. From December 1, you can see its second, Poznań version in the Śluza Gallery.
Five designers from Poznań and Shenzhen took part in the exhibition. From Poznań they are: Agata Kulczyk, Wojciech Janicki, Piotr Marzol, Marcin Markowski, Grzegorz Myćka; from Shenzhen: 1983ASIA, Du Fengsong, Liao Bofeng, Huang Yang, Huang Yuefei. The concept of the exhibition was prepared by two curators: Mateusz Bieczyński – professor at the University of Arts in Poznań and director of the Poznań Art Week festival, and Eric Zhu – director of the Shenzhen Fringe Festival.
The exhibition aims to deepen cooperation between artists and graphic designers from both cities. The curators organized a draw selecting 5 pairs of artists. For 6 months, the pairs exchanged reflections on topics related to artistic creation and international cultural exchange. The result of this collaboration are the posters presented at the exhibition. In addition to them, in the Śluza Gallery you can also see several dozen cultural posters (including film, theater, exhibition posters) created by the same artists in the past.
Artyści biorący udział w wystawie (biogramy)
1983ASIA, Yao and Su Su are well-known design duos in Asia, members of the TDAA, and SCCDA. They founded the branding and design company 1983ASIA in Shenzhen, which presents a contemporary perspective to explore Asian culture and art, creating a blend of aesthetics that stands out on the international stage. Their works have won numerous international design awards and have been invited for exhibitions and publications worldwide.
Agata Kulczyk, a Ph.D. of Arts, is a graduate of Graphic Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan. She deals with graphic design, with particular emphasis on explanatory graphics, as well as research on the use of infographics in socially engaged projects. Designs visual identifications, publications and posters. Participant of national and international exhibitions. Co-creator of the Infographics Studio at the Magdalena Abakanowicz University of Arts in Poznan, based on extensive cooperation with the socio-economic environment. As part of the co-run studio, he implements group topics and student projects that are part of artistic events and social campaigns and organizes and conducts workshops on infographics. Since the academic year 2016/2017, she has been the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Graphics and Visual Communication at UAP.
Du Fengsong, Art Director of DuDo DESIGN and consultant of SGDA, was born in Xi’an, China. His works have been collected by numerous art institutions and museums in France, Poland, Canada, the United States, Japan and China. In 2019, he served in the role of Executive Curator for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Design Exhibition during the 2019 Shenzhen Design Week. Additionally, he served as a judge for the Golden Panda Tianfu Creative Design Award at the Chengdu Creative Design Week in 2021-2022.
Grzegorz Myćka is a young and talented artist who was born in 1989 and is currently a lecturer in Collegium da Vinci in Poznań, runs the Printmaking Studio at the ZAMEK Culture Centre in Poznań and is a PHD candidate at the Magdalena Abakanowicz University of Arts in Poznań. His areas of expertise include graphic design, printmaking, illustration and short animated films. Mycka has won numerous international competitions in the field of poster design, illustration and animation. He also participated in many international exhibitions. He is a member of the Poznań-based collective of illustrators called ILU NAS JEST. His works are filled with specific, abstract humor, a sense of irony and minimal use of color.
Huang Yang, graphic designer, visual artist. In the year 2000, co-founded the design studio “huangyangdesign.” In 2013, collaborated to establish the art collective “seeyoutomorrow.” His works were featured in a special edition of “Contemporary Graphic Design” published by TASCHEN. Served as a judge for “Graphic Design in China 2013” GDC13. In 2021, participated in the OCT-LOFT Public Art Exhibition. In 2021, exhibited at the Shenzhen Design Week’s themed design invitation exhibition “S Super Symbol.” In 2022, co-curated and participated in the ONE ART.
Liao Bofeng is the founder & director of LiaoDesign, Member of SGDA, and Guest lecturer of SZU, born in 1986. He prefers using traditional, manual techniques in order to convey a fresh, powerful, and direct visual impact. His work has been recognized with several awards, including one Silver Cube and two Bronze Cube Awards from the New York Art Directors Club, two Graphite Pencils from the UK’s D&AD, one Tokyo TDC Nomination Award, two Asian Most Influential Design Awards (Silver and Bronze), fi ve GDC Award nominations, one GDC Award Jury’s Prize, as well as awards from the SGDA Association and the SGDA Newcomer Award.
Marcin Markowski, graphic designer, artist, a Ph.D. of Arts. Head of Poster Studio at the Faculty of Graphic Arts and Visual Communications at the Magdalena Abakanowicz University of the Arts in Poznan. Creator of posters, publications, and visual identifications. In the field of graphic design, he has won many prestigious awards and prizes. His designs were in the collections of the National Museum in Poznań, the Poster Museum in Wilanów and others.
Piotr Marzol is a talented designer, artist, and assistant at the UAP Publishing Studio. He specializes in designing publications, posters, illustrations, visual identities, and user interfaces. His work is centered around the idea and the form that it takes. Marzol’s work has been exhibited and recognized at numerous graphic design and contemporary art exhibitions in Poland and abroad. He has received several awards and distinctions, including the President of Poznan Award for Best Book of 2018, a Finalist at the Graphic Design Festival Breda in the Netherlands in 2015, and an award of distinction at the Ideografia Graphic Design Festival in 2017.
Wang Yuefei is Founder of Wang Yuefei Design Associates, member of the ADC and the AGI, academic committee member of the SGDA, judge for the Beijing Olympic Image Landscape Design, consultant for the Guangzhou Asian Games Image Landscape Expert Group, and expert for the Shenzhen Universiade Image Landscape Expert Group. He was also one of the main curators of the “Graphic Design in China” exhibition at the GDC in 1992 and one of the founders of the Shenzhen Graphic Design Association. His works have won awards in design competitions such as the Paris, Warsaw, New York ADC TDC, Tokyo TDC, GDC “Graphic Design in China”, and National Art.
Wojciech Janicki is a graphic designer and specialist in visual identity and branding. As an independent art director, he takes part in commercial projects including brand creation, image consulting and research on innovative solutions in visual communication. He is a lecturer at the University of Arts. Magdalena Abakanowicz in Poznań. He conducts classes in the field of visual identity, including: principles of symbol design, creating CI systems, service design, design trends and other issues as a professor at the University of Arts in Poznań. Janicki is the winner of many awards and distinctions in national and international graphic design competitions.
