The LuXus Group, whose legendary status was already widely acknowledged soon after their inception in 1981, made their mark on the art scene during the strike actions on campus at the Krakow Academy. That’s when they launched their underground art zine titled LuXus Psychoactive Magazine. These hand-stenciled graphics soon filtered into the mainstream, running through the streets of the city and straight into art gallery spaces. Soon enough, the milieu of critics had acclaimed LuXus to figure among the most significant art phenomena of the 1980s and ‘90s.
The group’s activities came together as an amalgam of various disciplines and actions, spanning painting, sculpture, installation, performance and activism. They’d invite other artists to partake in their actions, creating a booming ferment of creativity and social interactions. From its start, the group functioned as a revolving door of sorts for a plethora of artists, however, the current show is focused on its current members: Ewa Ciepielewska, Bożena Grzyb-Jarodzka, Jacek Ponton Jankowski, Jerzy Kosałka and Szymon Lubiński.
Irony, self-deprecation and satire, coupled with a good dose dark humor are at the core of the group’s workings. The latter note was deepened by the tragic passing of its key members: Paweł Jarodzki and Staszek Sielicki. The current show reveals how each artist has cultivated their own invididual path, while building on the collective legacy of LuXus as a group.
The exhibition takes the audience back to the spectacular concepts and actions behind "Epitafium i siedem przestrzeni" [Epitaph and Seven Spaces] in Warsaw’s Zachęta National Gallery, "Miłość to nie wszystko — PGS Sopot" [Love Is Not All—PGS Sopot, "Make Love or War" in Bunkier Sztuki, along with nods to contemporary cult actions, such as "LuXus Podnosi Polskę" [LuXus raises Poland] at the Survival Festival in Wrocław and the artistic intervention UFOjcie [FatherUFO] at the Chrobry Monument.
The exhibition is accompanied by a monographic album dedicated to the remarkable history and works of the group, titled LuXus — Agresywna niewinność [LuXus – Aggressive Innocence]. Link: https://sklep.bwa.wroc.pl/.../agresywna-niewinnosc.../
Visitors can also learn more about this fascinating group in feature film LuXus — Prosta Historia [LuXus – A Simple Story].
Rafał Bujnowski, Monika Chlebek, Karolina Freino, Karolina Jabłońska, Agnieszka Kalinowska, Adam Kozicki, Katerina Lisovenko, Róża Litwa, Krzysztof Maniak, Gizela Mickiewicz, Witek Orski, Aleka Polis, Katarzyna Przezwańska, Joanna Rajkowska, Filip Rybkowski, Szymon Ruczyński, Jadwiga Sawicka, Wilhelm Sasnal, Alex Urban. Piotr Czaban
The LuXus Group, whose legendary status was already widely acknowledged soon after their inception in 1981, made their mark on the art scene during the strike actions on campus at the Krakow Academy. That’s when they launched their underground art zine titled LuXus Psychoactive Magazine. These hand-stenciled graphics soon filtered into the mainstream, running through the streets of the city and straight into art gallery spaces. Soon enough, the milieu of critics had acclaimed LuXus to figure among the most significant art phenomena of the 1980s and ‘90s.
The group’s activities came together as an amalgam of various disciplines and actions, spanning painting, sculpture, installation, performance and activism. They’d invite other artists to partake in their actions, creating a booming ferment of creativity and social interactions. From its start, the group functioned as a revolving door of sorts for a plethora of artists, however, the current show is focused on its current members: Ewa Ciepielewska, Bożena Grzyb-Jarodzka, Jacek Ponton Jankowski, Jerzy Kosałka and Szymon Lubiński.
Irony, self-deprecation and satire, coupled with a good dose dark humor are at the core of the group’s workings. The latter note was deepened by the tragic passing of its key members: Paweł Jarodzki and Staszek Sielicki. The current show reveals how each artist has cultivated their own invididual path, while building on the collective legacy of LuXus as a group.
The exhibition takes the audience back to the spectacular concepts and actions behind "Epitafium i siedem przestrzeni" [Epitaph and Seven Spaces] in Warsaw’s Zachęta National Gallery, "Miłość to nie wszystko — PGS Sopot" [Love Is Not All—PGS Sopot, "Make Love or War" in Bunkier Sztuki, along with nods to contemporary cult actions, such as "LuXus Podnosi Polskę" [LuXus raises Poland] at the Survival Festival in Wrocław and the artistic intervention UFOjcie [FatherUFO] at the Chrobry Monument.
The exhibition is accompanied by a monographic album dedicated to the remarkable history and works of the group, titled LuXus — Agresywna niewinność [LuXus – Aggressive Innocence]. Link: https://sklep.bwa.wroc.pl/.../agresywna-niewinnosc.../
Visitors can also learn more about this fascinating group in feature film LuXus — Prosta Historia [LuXus – A Simple Story].