We use a billboard – the symbol of the modern age consumption – and change it into an object of consideration, reflection and a deep insight into ourselves and the surrounding reality.

about us

Galeria Rusz (Joanna Górska and Rafał Góralski)

Both were born in 1973, they live and work in Toruń, Poland.

Galeria Rusz is an artistic group, specialising, above all, in creating and presenting art in the urban space. Since 1999, the artists run their own billboard gallery, located at 37 Szosa Chełmińska in Toruń. It is the longest ongoing project of this type in world, presenting art continuously on one billboard. The artists exhibit a new work on the billboard every month. They treat this systematic interference with the space of everyday life as a very important artistic experiment. This experiment transcends the narrow boundaries of contemporary art and broadens its range of impact on society. The artists transfer art into the urban space, the sphere of everyday life, in order to make it available also to those, who do not visit traditional galleries and museums.

The group creates billboards, murals, organises poster campaigns, artistic interventions and social actions within the urban space. Up to this date, the artists have created more than 400 artistic billboards. Their work is concerned both with the private, individual sphere of life (which might be, in a simplified manner, called a psychological sphere) and with the external, collective sphere (which might be, in a simplified manner, called a social sphere). This division is rather symbolic and blurry – it is to underline the fact that through their work the artists try to describe the complex situation of the human being, who is both an individual and a member of a larger community, with all the dependencies stemming from this fact. Their works provide a new frame for different fragments of reality, a frame allowing for new interpretations. The artists encourage the viewer to frame their perception of certain phenomena in a new way, to play with the frames providing context for the interpretation of a given phenomenon.

The artists from Galeria Rusz promote the idea of art that provokes reflection, art that MOVES. According to the group, art should be a resonating device, inducing individual vibration in its viewers, showing them new aspects of reality and encouraging them to think about themselves and their surroundings in a new way. Reflective art constitutes a mirror of sorts. Just as a mirror allows us to see our own back, art shows us something that we do not usually see, even though it is an integral part of ourselves. Reflective art allows the viewer for an in-depth, multilayered analysis of the surrounding reality. It investigates the complicated relationship between the “subjective”, internal psychological processes and the “objective”, external social processes. It concentrates on the viewers as human beings and their complex existential position in the contemporary world.

Another very important artistic project by Galeria Rusz is the International Festival of Art on Billboards “Art Moves” (since 2008). The festival is organised in co-operation with outstanding artists from around the world. The festival gathers artists (both the experienced ones, with many achievements on their name, as well as the ones who are still at the beginning of their artistic journey) involved with the idea of reflective art which is genuinely interested in the psychosocial reality. During the festival, important artistic events are initiated and coordinated in the public space of the city, allowing outstanding works of art to reach a very wide audience.

Contemporary art is more and more often promoted through events of a purely commercial nature, while at the same time it fails to catch the interest of a wider audience. The Art Moves Festival addresses this issue and attempts to remedy the situation. It provides an experimental platform for an exchange of experiences and a search for solutions. This is so because the festival’s organisers strongly believe that art should not be reduced to gadgetry and luxurious good sold in “superARTmarkets” (that is, art galleries and art fairs). Art has a mission that is way more important than that. One of its roles is to provide alternative voices and opinions, thus making the viewers more sensitive to the surrounding psychosocial reality and helping them communicate better with themselves and with the outside world.

Scholarships and awards:

< The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage scholarship (2002, 2005, 2006, 2007)

< The Toruń Municipality scholarship (2004, 2007)

< The Grzegorz Ciechowski award for outstanding career achievements (2007)

< A nomination to the Deutsche Bank Foundation Award “Spojrzenia 2007” for the most interesting artists of the new generation

< The Marshall of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship special award in culture (2007)

< The Minister of Culture and National Heritage scholarship “Młoda Polska” (“Young Poland”), 2009

< The Marshall of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship scholarship, 2009

< A residency in the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich, 2009

 

Selected individual and collective exhibitions:

< 1999–2018 monthly exhibition on the billboards gallery of Galeria Rusz, Toruń, Warsaw;

< 2001 Outside, Centre of Contemporary Art Łaźnia, Danzig; Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art, Cracow;

< 2003 Recognition, Galeria Wozownia, Toruń;

< 2004 Art and the city, The National Art Gallery Zachęta, Warsaw; Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art, Cracow; BWA Wrocław; Galeria Arsenał, Białystok;

< 2004 Games and plays, The Town Council’s Meeting Room, Toruń;

< 2004 Warmth, Toruń;

< 2005 Love forgives you everything, Galeria Dla…, Toruń;

< 2006 With Love From Young Polish Artist!, UND, Karlsruhe;

< 2006 Post-era posters, Poster Museum, Warsaw;

< 2006 The patriotism of tomorrow, Wyspa Institute of Art, Danzig;

< 2006 Break the Swiss bank, Galeria Dla… Toruń;

< 2007 Art Car Boot Fair, London, Great Britain;

< 2007 Spojrzenia 2007 (Views 2007), The National Art Gallery Zachęta, Warsaw;

< 2008 Górska, Górecki, Góralski, Galeria Zero, Berlin, Germany;

< 2008 Mannual, Centre of Contemporary Art Znaki Czasu, Toruń;

< 2008 The 5th Triennale of Young Artists, Centre of Polish Sculpture, Orońsko;

< 2008 This is art…, BWA Galeria Sanocka, Sanok;

< 2008 Heppen Transfer-opening, Galeria Heppen Transfer, Warsaw;

< 2008 Artyści zewnętrzni – Out of sth, BWA Wrocław;

< 2008 I International Festival of Art on Billboards Art Moves, Toruń;

< 2009 Take A Look At Me Now, Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich, Great Britain;

< 2009 Men of lead, the exhibition for the 10th anniversary of Galeria Rusz, Toruń;

< 2009 II International Festival of Art on Billboards Art Moves, Toruń;

< 2010 Treat yourself to a little bit of freedom, Toruń;

< 2010 III International Festival of Art on Billboards Art Moves, Toruń;

< 2010 Larum mural, Płock;

< 2011 Etnoinspiracje, The National Museum, Danzig;

< 2011 IV International Festival of Art on Billboards Art Moves, Toruń;

< 2011 Art Moves Festival On The Road, London, Great Britain;

< 2012 Now I know who he is, BWA Wrocław;

< 2012 V International Festival of Art on Billboards Art Moves, Toruń;

< 2012 Polish language, Birmingham, West Bromwich, Walsall, Great Britain;

< 2013 The Biennial of Polish Poster, Katowice;

< 2013 MIGRATION/CREATION, Katowice

< 2013 VI International Festival of Art on Billboards Art Moves, Toruń;

< 2014 The mobil exhibition “The pictures full of happiness”, Toruń, Bydgoszcz, Włocławek, Inowrocław, Chełmno, Golub-Dobrzyń;

< 2014 “F like Freedom”, Bydgoszcz, Toruń, Włocławek, Grudziądz, Inowrocław;

< 2014 VII International Festival of Art on Billboards Art Moves, Toruń;

< 2015 „Make things (happend)”, Oakland California, New York, USA;

< 2015 “The like”, Bydgoszcz, Toruń, Inowrocław, Kruszwica;

< 2015 The mobil exhibition “I like be here”, Toruń, Włocławek, Rypin, Kowalewo Pomorskie, Sępólno Krajeńskie, Więcbork, Ciechocinek, Chełmża, Kowal, Aleksandrów Kujawski;

< 2015 VIII International Festival of Art on Billboards Art Moves, Toruń;

< 2015 “The republic of our dreams”, Toruń, Warsaw;

< 2016 “Together”, Toruń, Bydgoszcz, Grudziądz, Inowrocław, Włocławek;

< 2016 The mobil exhibition“We Like Being Here Together”, Bydgoszcz, Włocławek, Toruń, Wąbrzeźno, Chełmno, Koronowo, Nakło nad Notecią, Żnin;

< 2016 “A Happy City”, Wrocław;

< 2016 IX International Festival of Art on Billboards Art Moves, Toruń;

< 2016 “Ciechowski”, Toruń, Warsaw;

< 2017 The mobil exhibition “Who Are We”, Bydgoszcz, Włocławek, Toruń, Lipno, Jabłonowo Pomorskie, Świecie;

< 2017 “I am”, Toruń, Bydgoszcz, Grudziądz, Inowrocław, Włocławek;

< 2017 “Our Heritage”, Cracow;

< 2017 X International Festival of Art on Billboards Art Moves, Toruń;

< 2017 Involved in the text. Involved illustration, Design Institute, Kielce, Poland

 

Do góry