Wrocław is the Polish city with the highest number of art festivals. These attract people from all over the world. The festivals aim at providing a stage to young artists in particular. 1989 meant a sudden liberation for the art scene in the city which resulted in an eruption of creativity. At the same time this outbreak of creativity was a very important catalyst and a contribution towards the breakthrough to political freedom in Wroclaw.

The art scene in Wroclaw was important already in 1989. The project investigates if and how the scene existing back then still shapes the artistic panorama of the city.

In the 1980s, artists in Poland started to act in a more confident and courageous way. Even younger artists were less reluctant to show their works. They aimed to shock the audience and to always remain free in expression. At that time, an independent artistic community emerged besides the state sector.

In the wake of 1989, many new trends entered the local art scene. The new events and people contributed considerably to the new image of Wroclaw—a city of art with a wide sphere of activity open to young artists.

Artistic whirl of Wroclaw is a glimpse at selected events that took place in 1989 and have been entered into the official calendar of cultural events in Wroclaw. Viewers were therefore confronted with a rich collage of characters, sounds, images. They looked at this period from a distance, after 20 years, what allowed themselves to perceive and appreciate the importance of these events. 1989 is particularly important, because some very prestigious festivals were born then, By any means they have greatly influenced the image of today‘s Wroclaw. What seemed to be very attractive for viewers were posters about Media Art Biennale WRO. Another interesting point during the exhibition was the sequence of the works of the Group LUXUS. Thanks to its members Wroclaw has become one of the major centres of the cultural alternative. Introducing such specific material into the interior of the old cellar has given a whole exhibition a very compelling character. It was also an attempt to transfer viewers in time, to the concerts and exhibitions organised in a similar environment.