International Exhibition
SATYRYKON – LEGNICA 2021

The 44th International SATYRICON Exhibition – Legnica 2021 is now shown in Warsaw. The exhibition presents works by participants of a competition held by Legnica Cultural Centre jointly with Satyrykon Cultural and Social Foundation. The works exhibited at Warsaw’s Museum of Caricature were created by artists from many countries. Our visitors will therefore be able to see how the same phenomena and problems are presented and interpreted from many angles and perspective in a satirical form.

The works shown at the exhibition belong to the category of JOKE AND SATIRE, and contain references to current events in the world, such as the sanitary and epidemiological restrictions during the pandemic. Other themes include virtual reality and digital communication. The audience will also be able to see drawings and prints related to this year’s SATYRICON’s main theme: THE FAMILY, in the context of intimate everyday life, but also the current problems and social phenomena.

Artists whose works are presented at the exhibition include: this year’s Grand Prix winner Ali Mirae (Iran), Max Skorwider (Poland; winner of the Award of the Director of the Museum of Cartoon Art and Caricature), as well as Andrei Popov (Russia), Michał Stachacz (Poland), Shahrokh Heidari (France), Seyran Caferli (Azerbaijan), Agim Sulaj (Italy), Marek Szymańczuk (Poland), Bambang Sulistyo (Indonesia), Grzegorz Myćka (Poland), Paweł Kuczyński (Poland), Javad Takjoo (Iran), Bahram Arjomandnia (Iran), Włodzimierz Staszczyk (Poland), Janek Jankowski (Poland), and Sławomir Łuczyński (Poland).

Satyrykon is an open competition for cartoonists, graphic artists, painters, sculptors, poster artists and photographers, organised by the Legnica Cultural Centre together with the Satyrykon Cultural and Social Foundation. Its initiators in 1977 were Andrzej Tomiałojć from Legnica and Robert Szecówka from Wrocław.

Initially, Satyrykon was a local exhibition of drawings by the Wrocław community, but in 1978 it was transformed into a nationwide competition exhibition of satirical drawings. Legnica was the first and for many years the only meeting place for Polish satirists, and Satyrykon itself effectively contributed to the popularisation of satirical drawing in Poland. In the following years Satyrykon enriched its programme and broadened its formula. In 1980 the International Photographic Exhibition, Fotożart, was organised for the first time, and works submitted to the satirical drawing competition were judged in two categories: Satire and Joke. Both exhibitions shared the Grand Prix of Satyrykon. In 1985 the All-Polish Exhibition of Satirical Drawing officially became an international competition. At that time close contacts were established with many artists, art critics and festival organisers from abroad. Every year thousands of works by several hundred authors from dozens of countries all over the world are submitted to the Satyrykon.

Curator: Edyta Rola-Marcinowska
Poster design: Władysław Pluta