ABOUT THE EVENT
A collection of over 30 music posters by Leszek Żebrowski will be shown at the Ao5 Gallery in the Arboretum, October 21 – November 6, 2022. Zebrowski is an acclaimed artist, heir of the internationally renowned Polish School of Poster. The title of the exhibition, “Condemned to Poster Work” originates from the 2020 documentary film of the same title (dir. Marek Osajda, Eng. subtitles) featuring the artist and his work. The film is part of the opening reception (October 21, 2022 | 7pm-9pm) and will also be presented during this year’s Austin Polish Film Festival (Oct 28-30 and Nov 4-6, 2022) – the partnering organization. Żebrowski’s posters, including some autographed pieces, will be available for purchase at the venue throughout the duration of the exhibition which is curated and organized by the Dot Dot Dot Connect.

The show “Condemned to Poster Work” initiates a series of collaborations between Dot Dot Dot Connect and other local art organizations allowing for different creative forms to merge and intertwine through the medium of poster art. In addition to the show at the Ao5 Gallery, Dot Dot Dot Connect will present two additional poster art installations. In partnership with theAustin Classical Guitar (ACG), Polish film posters will be shown starting this October through December, followed by a collection of Polish music posters lasting through spring 2023; both at the ACG venue, The Rosette.

ABOUT THE ARTIST: LESZEK ŻEBROWSKI

Leszek Żebrowski considers himself the last Romantic of the Polish drawing. He is most widely known around the world for his expressive portraits,master of expressing emotions. He invented his own technique involving drawing directly on the offset plate and exposing it to light in a special way.

Żebrowski created over 500 posters. Most of them are related to cultural events and phenomena; some carry social or political commentary. Leszek Żebrowski had over 60 individual shows, both in his native Poland and around the world. He participated in 250 collective poster art, graphic design, and painting exhibitions, and was featured in multiple art festivals. Żebrowski holds over 30 awards and recognitions to his name. He is professor emeritus of the Academy of Fine Art in Szczecin, Poland.

THE PHENOMENON OF THE POLISH POSTER ART

Recommendation – see this trailer: https://www.freedomonthefence.com/trailer

The Polish School of Posters originated at a unique moment in history (1950s) when posters were the only medium in which artists were allowed relative artistic freedom by the Communist state. For the artists, posters became their way to experiment with avant-garde ideas, forms, and approaches liberated from commercial considerations. Most of the posters were executed in a painterly fashion, with handcrafted typography and rich metaphors and symbolism. The artists chose to convey their experiences and feelings connected to the events for which they designed the posters. In Austin, Polish posters are known partly thanks to the Austin-native filmmaker Richard Linklater who shared some of his poster collection at the AFS Cinema. The Austin Polish Film Festival has been presenting Polish poster exhibits annually since 2006 and the first such show included a part of Linklater’s collection. A set of wonderful vintage Polish posters are available for visitors of of the Ao5 Gallery, the venue of our upcoming exhibition (https://ao5gallery.com/pages/vintage-posters)

ORGANIZER

Dot Dot Dot Connect is a non-profit

organization with a mission to provide a meeting place for diverse communities to experience art together, create opportunities for local Austin area artists to connect with artists from around the world, create connections between different art fields through collaborations with groups devoted to promoting film, music, visual arts, and healthy living to the community.

PARTNERS & SPONSORS
Austin Polish Film Festival is a cultural event organized by Austin Polish Society that builds a place where Polish and Austin creative worlds meet,inspire each other, and provide means for further cooperation and mutual support.

Ao5 Gallery is Austin’s largest contemporary art gallery and has been committed to bringing a wide selection of accessible fine art to Austin since 1998. The gallery has artists from six of the seven continents. With multiple artist receptions and events each month, there is always something new to see and experience, even for frequent visitors.

Austin Classical Guitar  (ACG)

is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to classical guitar in the United States. Founded in 1990, ACG currently presents close to 100 concerts annually through several diverse series,  showcasing the world’s greatest guitarists along with local and regional talent each year. ACG also promotes lifelong learning in the arts through enrichment classes, adult community ensembles, the highly-acclaimed ACG Youth Orchestra, and beginning guitar classes.