“At Last, Something New!” exhibition opens in Sukiennice

?At Last, Something New!? exhibition opens in Sukiennicethe krakow post
A temporary exhibition consisting of three, currently homeless collections of art (gathered from the Malopolska Fund of the Contemporary Art Museum in Niepolomice and Bunkier Sztuki) will be on exhibit in the Sukiennice until August 15. The show presents 300 works by 60 well-known international artists. Though seemingly a strange place to host a contemporary art exhibit, 128 years ago the Sukiennice Gallery began by exhibiting primarily contemporary art. ?Its first painting was painted only three years earlier,? says Zofia Golubiew, the director of the National Museum in Krakow.?The exhibition shown here is an invitation for modernity,? says Maria Anna Potocka, the curator of the exhibition. ?It is also symbolic, due to the city?s, the province?s and the region?s authorities working together.?The first modern art exhibition in Krakow took place in 1948 in the Art Palace on Rynek Szczepanski. Since then, nothing comparable has been organized on an official level. The recent political argument concerning the Museum of Contemporary Art might suggest Krakow is unwelcoming to contemporary art, but the ?At Last, Something New!? exhibition proves otherwise.The collection shown in the Sukiennice was handpicked by the curator and divided into four rooms. The first room has been turned into a ?sanctuary of painting,? as referred to by Potocka, due to a more traditional painting approach to this medium. The second exhibits art through the medium of modernity ? video recordings. The two larger wing rooms, previously containing enormous historical paintings, have been arranged to leave the smaller spaces for modern art as they require less space, Potocka explained. In these two rooms the past and present meet as two giant 19th Century historical paintings gaze at the modern pieces standing boldly in the center of the room. The effect of this comparison produces a one-of-a-kind thrill.Hopefully, the Sukiennice contemporary art show will accustom Krakow?s residents to contemporary art and draw their attention to the urgency of building a contemporary art museum as a home for these and future works.The exhibition is open every day, except Mondays, from 11:00-18:00. Admission is free. To get to the entrance you must enter Sukiennice, on Rynek Glowny, from the side and walk under the arcades.