OUT OF STH – Wroclaw’s urban art exhibition
Wroclaw is one of Poland’s most vibrant cities, thanks to its large student population and strong artistic scene. It is located roughly in the middle of a geographic box cornered by Berlin, Warsaw, Krakow and Prague, and is connected by train to all. It has an old town as pretty as any in Eastern Europe, but is not yet spoiled a cheap airline connection that delivers hoards of tourists to flood the streets. And it is home to Gallery Awangarda, a proactive contemporary gallery that punches well above its weight.
Two years ago the gallery hosted OUT OF STH, Poland’s first ever urban art exhibition. They invited some of the biggest names in urban art to paint murals on drab walls, accompanied by a provocative gallery show. Among the participants was Blu, the infamous Italian muralist whose giant figures climb up the walls along Berlin’s Schlesisches Tor district; Remed, a typographically-inspired Spanish painter (see photo right); Polish street artist ZBK; and Polish provocateur-general Peter Fuss. The event was topped off by one hell of a vernisage party in the courtyard of Awangarda, fueled by cheap Polish beer and pierogi.
Now, OUT OF STH is returning as a much bigger beast than before. The event has exploded into a multi-faceted urban design conference across several locations. The outdoor portion of the event will feature several installations by Polish artist Mariusz Waras, who paints as M-City. Rather than simple stencils or paintings, M-City creates giant three-dimensional moving installations. Murals will also be painted by Mudwig (Bristol), Dem (Milan), Fefe Telavera (San Paulo/Madrid), Vova Vorotniov (Kiev), Erica Il Cane (Bologna) and Zosen (Barcelona). Gallery Awangarda will be given over to Thomas Schostok, also known as {THS}, a graphic artist who creates collages of multi-media images to create political, social and sexual messages. Polish graphic artist Jakub Stepien, who works under the name Hakobo, will present an extensive cross-media solo exhibition at the Design BWA Wroclaw Stage. To top it off, there will be an OUT OF STH Nightclub to provide a venue for after-parties.
OUT OF STH runs from mid-April until early June, with differing dates for the various components. The main opening party is on Friday April 23. Wroclaw is a gem of a city to visit at any time, but from now until June, OUT OF STH makes it a must-see destination for urban art fans.
DETAILS:
OUT OF STH
Urban Art Exhibition
BWA Galleries, Wroclaw, Poland
April 23-June 13
www.outofsth.org
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