Bunkier Sztuki is one of the most important Polish cultural institutions presenting contemporary art. It originally functioned within the network of Art Exhibition Offices (the BWA) but in 1994 was given the status of city gallery.
Mission of the institution is home to exhibitions, presentations of works from the Collection and artistic, educational, promotional and publishing activity.
EXHIBITIONS
Since its inception, the Gallery has presented over 980 exhibitions.
Artists who have had individual exhibitions there include: Tomasz Ciecierski, Tony Cragg, Josef Dabernig, Marta Deskur, Edward Dwurnik, Władysław Hasior, Tadeusz Kantor, Katarzyna Kozyra, Piotr Lutyński, Henry Moore, Jerzy Nowosielski, Andrzej Pawłowski, Maria Pinińska-Bereś, Adam Rzepecki, Jadwiga Sawicka, Marek Sobczyk, Krzysztof Wodiczko and Otto Zitko.
Collective exhibitions have comprised presentations of artists representing Krakows artistic community (Krakow Encounters, Student Multimedia) as well as artists from all over Poland (National Competition of Industrial Design) and the world (International Print Triennial, World Press Photo). Exhibitions of works from the Bunkier Sztuki Collection remain another important element of the Gallery’s exhibition activity.
Documentation of the exhibition Give me Everything, 2024, photo: R. Sosin
COLLECTION
The Bunkier Sztuki Collection comprises 445 works by 172 artists from 20 countries. Its core consists of works acquired after exhibitions and artistic actions. The multi-media Bunkier Sztuki Collection includes paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, photographs, installations, conceptual works, films, audio recordings and documentation of performances and plays.
The Bunkier Sztuki Collection includes works by, amongst others, Jerzy Bereś, Krzysztof M. Bednarski, Rafał Bujnowski, Oskar Dawicki, Marta Deskur, Edward Dwurnik, Katarzyna Górna, Piotr Lutyński, Marcin Maciejowski, Małgorzata Markiewicz, Maria Pinińska-Bereś, Józef Robakowski, Adam Rzepecki, Jadwiga Sawicka, Wilhelm Sasnal, Mikołaj Smoczyński, Beata Stankiewicz, Michał Stonawski, Krzysztof Wodiczko and Alicja Żebrowska.
Digitised works from the Collection can be found on the platforms Virtual Museums of Małopolska and Google Arts & Culture. Continued expansion of the Collection has been supported by grants from the Department of Culture and National Heritage of the City of Krakow and from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
Exhibition documentation, Polish Artists in The Bunkier Sztuki Collection, 2019, photo: P. Wodniak
EDUCATION AND ACCESSIBILITY
The Gallery’s educational programme is specifically targeted at different age groups and also special needs audiences. The institution aims to integrate Krakow’s cultural community, institutions, foundations, schools and universities, with which it shares common goals and artistic and didactic projects.
The Gallery’s regular programme offers guided tours of exhibitions, art workshops, meet-the artist sessions and inclusive accessible activities (using Polish Sign Language). The institution has available Braille-based tactile graphics and audio-descriptions for works of art, as well as providing ‘quiet hours’, for people with sensory sensitivities. As part of the series Spotkania ze sztuką, the gallery has published an original series of educational notebooks.
Exhibition workshops, Agata Kus Horror Picture Show, 2019
PUBLISHING
From the very beginning, the Gallery has published exhibition catalogues and books on contemporary visual culture. The Bunkier Sztuki Publishing House works closely with artists and theoreticians.
In 2020, a new publishing series entitled Biblioteka krakowskich artystów (The Library of Krakow Artists) was launched and so far includes the catalogues of Kamil Kukla, Agata Kus, Piotr Lutyński, Bartek Materka, Małgorzata Markiewicz, Adam Rzepecki, Leszek Sobocki, Beata Stankiewicz and Michał Stonawski.