UNPOLISHED – young design from Poland / Graz

The exhibition is a search for the common denominator of contemporary Polish design. It presents the most interesting works and achievements of young designers. It proves that Polish design, which draws on the rich Polish experience and traditions, is a distinct phenomenon, and thus attractive and worth knowing.

The Austrian audience will have the opportunity to see 16 works designed by 15 Polish designers, including the well-known and award-winning stools by Oskar Zięta, glass and porcelain objects by Bogdan Kosak, Karina Marusińska, Monika Patuszyńska, the red dot award-winning “inflatable” sofas by Malafor or the unique carpets by the Czop/Rusin duo.

The exhibition has been shown at many prestigious design festivals and applied arts museums, including Salone del Mobile in Milan, Designer’s Days and Design Week in Paris, Inno Design Tech Expo in Hong Kong or the Museum of Applied Arts in Cologne and the Design Museum in Helsinki. Its previous editions have garnered positive reviews from specialists and were popular with the public. Agnieszka Jacobson-Cielecka, curator of the exhibition, explains its genesis as follows: We first presented the works of young Polish designers in September 2009 at the DESIGN SEPTEMBER festival in Brussels. It turned out that Polish design is attractive to the European audience, and our designers have interesting, surprising and unique ideas. Thus, the UNPOLISHED exhibition has become a cyclical project – after all, every year new creators appear, there are more and more interesting artistic projects worth showing in Europe.

Most of the designers and design groups presenting their works at the exhibition belong to the generation of thirty-year-olds. This is, according to the curators, the most interesting group of Polish artists. Brilliantly educated and talented, they are not only engaged in design, but also independently produce and promote their own work. Many of them have already gained worldwide recognition, while others are just at the threshold of their careers. When selecting works and designers, we always look for the most characteristic elements of Polish design, features that distinguish us from other designers , explains Agnieszka Jacobson-Cielecka, curator of the exhibition – When preparing such exhibitions, we are always faced with the question what do we actually want to prove? Is it that Poles design like everyone else? Or that they design differently than everyone else? Certainly the process of creation and choice of materialsis special . Designers reach for materials that are accessible, inexpensive and natural: wood, osb and mdf boards, felt, or recycled materials. They also most often make their objects themselves or with the help of local craftsmen. Most works are prototypes, uniques or limited series.

Some artists are inspired by Polish tradition, material culture or craftsmanship. Many works are characterized by humor, irony, balancing on the border between design and art, a perverse sense of humor or distance from classical definitions of design. Another theme is the fascination with material, texture and manufacturing technology. However, the presented projects have a common denominator: it is simplicity, modesty, balance between tradition and modernity and striving for harmony according to the principle “less is more.”