Student Poster Exhibition
1959-1990
A special exhibition of several dozen posters and playbills spanning multiple decades recalls key events in the history of student culture—an uneven, multifaceted phenomenon that, in the form it took until the end of the People’s Republic of Poland, now belongs to the past. For various reasons, this exhibition offers only a small glimpse into its vast legacy; it serves as an illustration seen primarily from the perspective of a single academic community—Kraków—which, for decades, played an important cultural role on a nationwide scale.
About Event
These materials showcase the achievements of the academic community across many areas of activity: clubs, theater, visual arts, music, cabaret, literature, film, press, and community integration. There are also posters recalling renowned nationwide events: the Student Song Festival, the Academic Youth Artistic Festival (FAMA), and the Student Culture Festival of the People’s Republic of Poland.
The works presented in the exhibition were made available by the Museum of Independence in Warsaw and, for the most part, by the Kraków Library—institutions that preserve archival collections of student culture, which is a rarity in times when few material traces and historical records of student cultural activity have survived.
Exhibition authors:
Piotr Wasilewski, Kraków Library, former head of the culture section of the biweekly Student in the 1980s.
Maja Maciejko, interdisciplinary artist, creative photographer, image and brand specialist.
“Złota Tarka. Old Jazz Meeting 1989” Poster for the traditional jazz festival; Central Student Club of the Warsaw University of Technology “Stodoła”; format: 100×70 cm, printing technique: screen printing, printed by the author.
Organizers
Polish Students’ Association
Organizer
Kraków Library
Organizer
Warsaw University of Technology
Organizer
Warsaw University of Technology Foundation
Organizer
Museum of Independence
Organizer
CBF Nowy Świat
Organizer
Stock Exchange Center
Organizer
The displayed posters and playbills reflect the ambitions and capabilities of the student community at the time—creative, organizational, and technical—but they also speak volumes about the degree of freedom of expression, and the intellectual and artistic level of the challenges undertaken by young intellectuals in those years in the field of art, cultural promotion, and the creation of independent media. Posters, often created by recognized and respected graphic designers, are an emblematic expression of those aspirations and explorations.
The works gathered for the exhibition were made available by the Museum of Independence in Warsaw and—mostly—by the Kraków Library, institutions that preserve archival collections of student culture, which is a rarity in times when few material traces or archival records of student cultural activity have survived.
This commemorative poster art exhibition was created with two target groups in mind. One consists of former participants of the academic movement; the other includes young people for whom the culture created by previous generations remains an unfamiliar part of the past.
Art is not just a form of expression.
It is a way to tell stories
that might otherwise be forgotten.
In a world full of noise,
art reminds us of what truly matters.
It creates space for reflection,
stirs emotions,
and connects people across divisions.
Create. Share. Inspire.
Because every story deserves
to be heard.
“Out of Control 1988. New Conservatism”
Poster for the 7th Review of Alternative and Avant-Garde Rock Music, part of the “RockFront” series;
Student Club of the Warsaw University of Technology “Riviera-Remont,” Warsaw;
format: 100×70 cm, printing technique: screen printing, printed by the author.
“Stodoła 1956–1991”
Poster commemorating the 35th anniversary of “Stodoła”;
Central Student Club of the Warsaw University of Technology “Stodoła”;
format: 100×70 cm, printing technique: screen printing, printed by the author.
“Bread And Puppet Theater. The Life and Death of Fireman”
Poster for a theatre performance;
Central Student Club of the Warsaw University of Technology “Stodoła”;
format: 100×70 cm, printing technique: screen printing, printed by the author.