Open to students and graduates of the Lviv National Academy of Arts and held annually since 2012, the competition has been organised by the Mariusz Kazana Foundation in cooperation with the Consulate General of Poland in Lviv, the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, and the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław. This year's tenth anniversary edition of the competition could not have taken place due to Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine. A display of works by former awardees has been put up in anticipation of a better situation in Ukraine that would permit a resumption of the competition cycle. In her opening address, the Foundation's President Barbara Kazana hoped that the upcoming edition next year would take place in Lviv, in a free Ukraine.

The host of the meeting, Director Marek Szczepanowski of the MFA's Diplomatic Protocol, pointed out that the MFA has organised "yet another exhibition that brings us closer to Ukraine, so despicably attacked by Russia, and seeks to employ art that appeals to sensitive audiences with a view to alerting the world to our neighbour's nearly yearlong tragedy. We will never accept this aggression."

Professor Bogdan Pikulicki of the Lviv National Academy of Arts, the competition's supervising art expert and mentor, who has also had a selection of his works displayed alongside the winners' exhibition, said that "every competition we will organise in the coming years shall testify that we have already won this war."

The Foundation's President Barbara Kazana put an emphasis on how significant the competition has been as a contribution to the cooperation between Polish and Ukrainian institutions, and to reinforcing friendly ties and bridging knowledge gaps between the two nations. The past editions of the competition served to present works by Polish artists in Lviv, while the winners were invited to master their artistic skills at selected academies of fine arts in Poland and received other awards.

Section Head Maria Ślebioda representing the MFA's Department of Public and Cultural Diplomacy observed that the holiday season ahead brings to mind the warmth of one's home and illuminated Christmas trees but many people in Ukraine will experience it as a cold and dark time spent in shelters and away from home. She added that the preview is part of the MFA's ongoing campaign carried out with high intensity since last February to uphold interest in the conflict in Ukraine among the international public. Maria Ślebioda mentioned the Department's engagement in organising a concurrent study visit of representatives of the Lviv Academy (Professor B. Pikulicki and Professor Marian Besaga) aimed at enhancing cooperation between Polish and Ukrainian institutions and universities.

The preview was attended by numerous representatives of the diplomatic corps, art circles, and the Foreign Ministry's personnel. The exhibition will be open to visitors on the first floor of the Articom building until March 2023.

The Mariusz Kazana Foundation was established on 29 September 2010 after Mariusz Kazana's tragic death in the presidential plane crash near Smolensk (10 April 2010). Mariusz Kazana was Director of the Diplomatic Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a diplomat and art enthusiast, the originator of many projects promoting Polish culture and art. The Foundation upholds the memory of Mariusz Kazana, continuing projects that he did not manage to implement. The mission of the Foundation is to build a positive image of Poland by popularising culture and art in the country and abroad and strengthening international artistic exchange. 

 

MFA Press Office
 

Photo: Bartosz Peterman/MFA