During the 20th century many Polish artists traveled to different Asian countries, motivated by their creative curiosity but also by complex, global political relations. What did they see and how did they look? Are their works records of living experiences or lasting stereotypes?

Dr Joanna Wasilewska, Director of the Asia and Pacific Museum, will present to you some of the most special Polish artworks inspired by the artists’ experiences in contact with Asian and Oceanic cultures.

During the lecture you will hear fascinating stories about many Polish artists such as Aleksander Kobzdej (who spent only four months in China and Vietnam, yet the visit proved very consequential for his work), Andrzej Strumiłło (who made his first trip to China in 1954 and returned there many times afterwards), Roman Opałka (who authored a series of illustrations for Indonesian fairy tales), Tadeusz Findziński (who created his drawings and paintings in Vietnam, where he worked as a diplomat) and many others.

Their artworks presented in our temporary exhibition ‘Created with Sound’ show how Polish artists perceived distant countries – in particular their musical and dance cultures. How did they decide to present their experiences to their compatriots? What similarities are there between works created by Polish artists and their Asian and Oceanic counterparts?

Free entry!

This event is a part of a Medical University of Warsaw’s project DiversityxWUM Volume 1.
Main events of this project will take place on the 2nd and 3rd of June 2023.