Current exhibitions
Temporary exhibitions
World War II – Drama, Symbol, Trauma
In preparing an exhibition about World War II, we had no ambition to chart its history but rather to focus on some threads that have had the greatest impact on the Polish consciousness. Artworks are accompanied by documents as well as propaganda and literary materials. In the exhibition we present 39 artists. Many of the works come from the MOCAK Collection.
The Ghosts of Matter
The exhibition is the latest in a series of individual presentations by artists whose works are featured in the MOCAK Collection. Guido Casaretto is interested in matter per se – the sea, mountains, the universe, but also stone and wood. Casaretto analyses different forms of the matter of the Universe, and subsequently – using a variety of media – produces their replicas.
Crush the Infamous! Artists from the Collection of Sachsenhausen
At the exhibition we show the works of eight artists – former prisoners of Oranienburg and Sachsenhausen concentration camps. The narration of the exhibition is based not only on works created during the imprisonment, but also on those from before and after the war, not related to the camp experience. The exhibition includes multimedia materials, photographs and archival materials.
I Am a Wounded Man: Writer, Actor, Painter
At the exhibition we present a few dozen of works by Wiesław Dymny – paintings, drawings, collages, book cover designs, stage set designs and photographs, selected from the artist’s abundant legacy. The majority are undated; they were created as sketches of whatever the artist happened to have to hand. Dymny was dismissive of his works; he gave them out to friends and cared little for them – as far as he was concerned, his task was done when the work was completed.
I Enter Every Reality
Exhibition to celebrate the artist’s 60th birthday. This is the first such comprehensive presentation of selected works by Shinji Ogawa in the MOCAK Collection. It has been supplemented with works on loan from the artist and from private collections (Mizuho Ogawa, Seiichi Yoschino and STANDING PINE).
Private Exhibition
The oeuvre of Mikołaj Smoczyński (1955–2009) continues to be discovered anew. MOCAK houses the entire body of his artistic legacy. The exhibition aims to bring the figure of the one of most prominent Polish artists closer to the audiences. This year we commemorate the tenth anniversary of Smoczyński’s death.
Concept-Shapes (MOCAK Collection)
Stanisław Dróżdż is one of the most significant representatives of Polish conceptual art and the most renowned Polish concrete poet. The year 2019 is the year of the 80th anniversary of the poet’s birthday and also the 10th anniversary of his death. In commemoration, the Museum is presenting an individual exhibition of the artist, which comprises entirely works from the MOCAK Collection.
Permanent Exhibitions
Motion as the Stuff of Art (MOCAK Collection)
At the latest exhibition of the MOCAK Collection, we show selected objects and installations, in which motion plays a particular role. In all these works it functions as the device for instilling meaning and bringing coherence to the message. In this manner, motion has almost become an object. In keeping with Einstein’s theory, energy turns into matter.
Symbolic Design (MOCAK Collection)
Artists seek opportunities to practise art everywhere they can. They have found them, amongst others, in the field of architecture and design – disciplines traditionally governed by function. The designer’s creative inspiration follows the principle of utility. Contemporary artists employ the relationship between imagination and function in quite a contrary way. With some exceptions, they completely reject the practical function, instead dwelling on its symbolism. Objects appear deceptively practical, yet simultaneously do not yield themselves to practical use. This results in a conceptual play.
Outdoor Exhibits From The MOCAK Collection
Outdoor Exhibits From The Mocak Collection is a group of artworks situated in the area surrounding MOCAK refers to four subjects: the Holocaust, history of art, history of politics and intervention in public space.
Live Factory 2: Warhol by Lupa (MOCAK Collection)
MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow, in collaboration with the Helena Modrzejewska National Stary Theatre in Krakow, is opening a new space as part of its Collection. We will be showing Krystian Lupa’s interactive installation Live Factory 2, based on the stage design for his theatre production Factory 2, which premiered at the Stary Theatre in 2008.
The Mieczysław Porębski Library (MOCAK Collection)
MOCAK’s Library is located in a side building. In one of the halls, Mieczysław Porębski’s Library is be exhibited. Porębski, Poland’s most prominent art historian, many years ago expressed his wish to donate his book collection to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow. When the Museum came into being, he returned to that idea and handed over to the institution the Krakow part of his collection.