Ceremony of the Katarzyna Kobro Award 2026
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The Katarzyna Kobro Award 2026 was presented to Zofia Kulik by a jury composed of:
- dr Anna Konik (Head of the Jury) – visual artist, head of the Department of Experimental Film in Magdalena Abakanowicz University of Arts in Poznan.
- prof. Andrzej Tobis – visual artist, professor of Fine Arts, Head of Painting Studio V at the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice.
- Barbara Konopka – multimedia artist, graduate of the Cinematography and Television Production Department at the Łódź Film School.
- Kuba Bąkowski – visual artist, graduate of the Faculty of Multimedia Communication at the University of the Arts Poznań.
The laudatory speech reads:
The Katarzyna Kobro Award 2026 is presented in recognition of Zofia Kulik's radical and consistent artistic practice, an invaluable contribution to commemorating Polish ephemeral and alternative art, and an influence on subsequent generations of artists.
The artistic oeuvre of Zofia Kulik, like Katarzyna Kobro’s achievements, stems from the need to constantly redefine the language of art. Both artists are characterised by creative uncompromisingness, formal consistency, an understanding of art as a driving force shaping reality, and an interest in the relationship between form, the individual and society.
Her visually exquisite, symetrical and almost hipnotic paintings speak about power, violence, rememberence and conformity of the individual to the system. In Kulik's art the form is never innocent; beauty is not only space for admiration, but also a tool of control. Artist's oeuvre, humility, composure and extrordinary personality have made her one of the most important figures in contemporary Polish art.
About the laureate:
Zofia Kulik (born 1947) – Polish visual artist working with photography, installation and performance, and a co-creator (along with Przemysław Kwiek) of the duo KwieKulik. Since the 1980s, she has created monumental photographic compositions addressing power, the body, history and the role of women. For Kulik, the creative process of constructing complicated compositions based on the repetition and multiplication of fragments of the body is a symbol of subordination and authority. By correlating monumental images with everyday gestures, Kulik compels the audience to confront history and symbolic meanings that do not reveal themselves immediately but emerge through a process of careful observation and interpretation.
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The initiator of the Award, prof Józef Robakowski, with the consent of the artist's daughter, Nika Strzemińska, helped raise awarness of Kobro's extrordinary achievements, while at the same time highlighting the strong connection between the achievements of the avant-garde sculptor and contemporary artistic practises. The Katarzyna Kobro Award honours artists who constantly seek answers to ever-new questions and persistently negotiate the art's role in society. Every year jury composed of artists recognises outstanding achievements in the broadly understood field of visual arts, recognising special experimental and exploratory attitude. The idea behind this award, initiated by the artistic community refers to the tradition of solidarity among artists, which forms the foundation of Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź.
Between 2001 and 2009 the Award was presented in Galeria Wschodnia, and it's founders were brothers Krzysztof and Dariusz Bieńkowski. In 2011, it found its home in Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź. In 2023 the Award was presented at Galeria W Y. Every year, the selection made by a jury composed of artists continues to resonate throughout the artistic community.
Laureates from previous years:
- 2001 – Zbigniew Dłubak
- 2002 – Jürgen Blum-Kwiatkowski
- 2003 – Andrzej Dłużniewski
- 2004 – Krzysztof M. Bednarski
- 2005 – Teresa Murak
- 2006 – Krzysztof Wodiczko
- 2007 – Jerzy Lewczyński
- 2008 – Zbigniew Rybczyński
- 2009 – Andrzej Lachowicz
- 2011 – Zygmunt Rytka
- 2012 – Natalia LL
- 2013 – Cezary Bodzianowski
- 2014 – Robert Rumas
- 2015 – Jadwiga Sawicka
- 2016 – Karolina Wiktor
- 2017 – Piotr Bosacki
- 2018 – Cecylia Malik
- 2019 – Ewa Ciepielewska
- 2020 – Koji Kamoji
- 2022 – Elżbieta Jabłońska
- 2024 – Ewa Zarzycka
- 2025 – Joanna Rajkowska
The award founder:
