Dr Joanna Wasilewska, Director of the Asia and Pacific Museum, presented us with some of the most special Polish artworks inspired by the artists’ experiences in contact with Asian and Oceanic cultures. During the lecture, we heard fascinating stories about many Polish artists such as Aleksander Kobzdej (who spent only four months in China and Vietnam, yet the visit proved very consequential for his work), Andrzej Strumiłło (who made his first trip to China in 1954 and returned there many times afterwards), Roman Opałka (who authored a series of illustrations for Indonesian fairy tales), Tadeusz Findziński (who created his drawings and paintings in Vietnam, where he worked as a diplomat) and many others.

 

Their artworks presented in the temporary exhibition ‘Created with Sound’ show how Polish artists perceived distant countries – in particular their musical and dance cultures. How did they decide to present their experiences to their compatriots? What similarities are there between works created by Polish artists and their Asian and Oceanic counterparts?