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GEPPERT COMPETITION – from the painting to the picture and back Andrzej Kostołowski
I. COMPETITIONS, HONOURS The Geppert Competition, established in 1989 to promote young painting, is one of the most important cyclical events in our art, despite its fluctuations, doubts and even nearcollapse. Its competitive character serves to remind that contests, rankings, nominations, awards, medals, honorary mentions favouring some artists and ignoring others – all these have been accompanying art since time immemorial. In fact, this field of human activity that is so lacking in egalitarianism revolves around choice and hierarchy. For some, they are fair and welcome features, for others – on the contrary, they do harm. Sometimes those who have once been harmed gradually grow in importance, only to be criticized by those who feel marginalized this time round. And again. And again… It is therefore inevitable that any selection (including the Geppert Competition) provokes some trickery, self-promotion, taming and compromise. It is not a principle, but quite a number of artists prepare their works with the competition in mind, anticipating their presence in the event the way they would hope to appear in a prestigious gallery or an important museum. Not unlike the wellknown strategy of painting “the way the Pope expects”, practised by the masters of 17th-century Italy. Except perhaps that the results were more impressive back then. Who doesn’t like competitions? Their few opponents include the advocates of the anything-goes approach to art, favouring the equal treatment of its genres. Paradoxically, they get entwined in the dilemma of having the cake and eating it – being open to all, yet at the same time remaining the artist, i.e. someone special. People treating all kinds of contests with considerable reserve include those who fear that art has become dangerously close to sporting events. Janusz Bogucki, a juror himself on many occasions, sees the concept of art competition as an exposition of the so-called artistic system, based on “a socially attractive, mass model of rivalry”. The rivalry promotes “young participants who decide to
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1O. KONKURSU GEPPERTA ——— CO ROBI MALARZ?
become contestants, displaying efficiency in one of the known disciplines”.1 For example, in painting, as in the Geppert Competition. According to Diana Crane, if we assume that art brings two possible forms of gratification – symbolic and material – we may distinguish four types of award systems: 1) an independent system, 2) a semi-autonomous system, 3) a sub-cultural system, and 4) a hetero-cultural system.2 In the independent system, it is the artists themselves who control the symbolic and material awards. In the semi-autonomous system (e.g. avant-garde), the prestige lies with the artists, while the financial side is assured by the collectors. In the sub-cultural system, where the artists and recipients exchange roles, the awards are highly symbolic. And finally, the hetero-cultural system emerges from culture industries. The Geppert Competition is a hybrid of the semiautonomous and hetero-cultural systems, assuming that the corporate roles are played by the Ministry of Culture, City of Wrocław, Academy of Fine Arts, etc. II. LOCAL / ALL-POLAND Since its second edition in 1993, the Geppert Competition has been developing as a logical consequence of the great Polish transformation. Back in those times, there was an important cyclical event held in Poland, the Spychalski Painting Competition, with its good phase in the 1970’s, much worse in the 80’s, and in decline after that. Two others were doing well: the “Bielsko Autumn” Biennale, established in 1962, and the Festival of Contemporary Polish Painting in Szczecin. Those important events are still organized, focusing on artists at various age groups, thus leaving natural space for a more specialized competition for the so-called “emerging” generation of young artists. Wrocław could not be a better venue for such a contest, with its painting tradition, but also the important Cwenarski Exhibition of Young Polish Painters in 1980, and then two independent presentations of young art (mainly painting) – Droga (Way) in 1985,
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