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The Bunker Of Arts Art Gallery

The Bunker of Arts (Bunkier Sztuki) contemporary art gallery in Krakow is one of the city's most active cultural institutions, presenting Polish as well as international modern art. The rather graceless shape of the Bunker of Arts, which was built during Communist times, is situated on 3 Plac Szczepanski (Szczepanski Square) near the Planty Park, opposite the Palace of Arts, and creates an avant-garde counterpoint to the somewhat extravagant exterior of the 'Society of Fine Arts Friends'.

From the BWA to the Bunker of Arts

The history of the Bunker of Arts begins in 1950, when the Biuro Wystaw Artystycznych (Art Exhibition Office) was established in Krakow, aiming to promote and present modern Polish art. Fifteen years later the BWA moved to the building on Szczepanski square, called 'the Bunker' thanks to its rather unsophisticated and heavy looks. In 1995 the pavilion and the institution were officially called “Bunkier Sztuki”. The reason of the renaming not only confirmed the traditional way the Krakow residents referred to the place, but also that the Bunker of Arts had gained more independence. The independence certainly did much good to the Bunker of Arts, as soon it became the centre of Krakow's modern art life.

Artists Presented in the Bunker of Arts

The Bunkier Sztuki art gallery has two spacious floors that serve as an exhibition area. The Bunker of Arts presents contemporary art in various forms, from the more traditional paintings or sculptures to formal experiments and multimedia art. Among the artists whose works were exhibited in the Bunker of Arts are Magdalena Abakanowicz, Jerzy Beres, Leon Tarasewicz, Tadeusz Kantor, Edward Dwurnik, Bruno Schulz, Tony Cragg, Hans Arp, Henry Moore, Wilhelm Sasnal and Jadwiga Sawicka and others. The Bunker of Arts in Krakow also presents performance art, live as well as in the form of videos. Most of the exhibitions are accompanied by a lecture or a discussion either with the artists themselves or the critics. A few times a month, the Bunkier Sztuki organizes lectures and movie screenings devoted to modern art.

Recent Exhibitions in the Bunkier Sztuki

A recent important exhibition in the Bunker of Arts presented the work of the East-European Fluxus groups – presenting neo-dadaist art created using various techniques and spanning from music and literature to performance art. The attractive, multimedia form of the exhibition brought thousands of visitors to the gallery, although Fluxus art isn't among the easiest.

Other Places in Krakow Presenting Modern Art

Although the Krakow Bunker of Arts is certainly the most important place in the city presenting contemporary art, there are some other places worth seeing by modern art enthusiasts. The Manggha Center of Japanese Art and Technology, apart from exhibiting the Feliks Jasienski's collection of oriental art, often organizes modern art exhibitions, as well as lectures devoted to contemporary architecture, mostly given by the architects themselves. Another interesting place is the Galeria Potocka, situated on 10 Plac Sikorskiego (Sikorski Square). The small, private gallery owned by Maria Anna Potocka, the current director of the Bunker of Arts, presenting modern art in a more intimate atmosphere than the grand Bunkier Sztuki.