Winners of the Oknoplast For Art artistic competition

Presentation of winning works and award ceremony at the MOCAK Museum in Krakow

The OKNOPLAST FOR ART competition was organized jointly by the MOCAK contemporary art museum and OKNOPLAST, patron of the Krakow institution. The competition jury, made up of Anda Rottenberg, Andrzej Bednarczyk, Maria Anna Potocka, Edyta Kurpiel-Placek and Andrzej Starmach, deliberated and announced the winners of the competition on June 29 at the MOCAK museum. The winning works were selected anonymously from more than 200 submissions from across Europe.

The winners of the OKNOPLAST FOR ART competition are:

• 1st prize, worth 8.000 euros, was awarded to Jakub Slomkowski,
• 2nd prize, worth 2.000 euros, to Andrzej Wełmiński,
• 3rd prize, worth 2.000 euros, to Mateusz Sak.

7 honorable mentions were also awarded to works by Marta Holderna, Ada Jurczak-Lowkis, Michal Iwanski, Robert Kuta, Jerzy Kosalka, Maeva Drack and Klaudia Milačić.

The post-competition exhibition will be on display until September 17, 2023.

Idea and scope of the Oknoplast For Art competition

The artists participating in the OKNOPLAST FOR ART competition had to create an artistic work in the technique of their choice, with a window as a support. They were able to express their creativity by carrying out their project on windows provided by OKNOPLAST. 211 works from all over Europe competed: Poland, Austria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Norway and Turkey. The winning works are artistic interpretations and refer to social and justice issues in the modern world.

The OKNOPLAST FOR ART competition is a continuation of the manufacturer's support activities for the artistic community. The idea of ​​an initiative to help them financially as well as promote their work was born during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For Magdalena Cedro-Czubaj, marketing director of the OKNOPLAST group:“Although it may not seem obvious at first glance, OKNOPLAST has a lot in common with artists – we focus on design, we open new paths and we create unique products. The number and quality of the projects submitted are of great interest and encourage us to continue the cooperation between OKNOPLAST and the artistic community. I am happy that the result of this partnership is unique works that move and arouse emotions. »

For Maria Anna Potocka, director of the Krakow Museum of Contemporary Art MOCAK and juror of OKNOPLAST FOR ART: “The competition organized by the Krakow Museum of Contemporary Art MOCAK and the OKNOPLAST group received more than 200 applications from Polish and European artists. The theme, which was the window, gave the artists the possibility of a diverse interpretation, but also proved to be a challenge for them. The number of topics covered was fascinating. The post-competition exhibition, OKNOPLAST FOR ART which will be held at MOCAK until September 17, presents the winning works and shows how high-level the projects were. The cooperation between our museum and the OKNOPLAST group, which we intend to continue in the coming years, shows the great potential of the partnership between art and business. »

Oknoplast’s support for cultural initiatives

Over its past three decades, OKNOPLAST has continued to promote the arts as part of the group's social responsibility mission. The manufacturer has supported numerous cultural events, including sponsoring the “Jasinski&Friends” art exhibition, the Young Architects Competition, and being associated with the Young Designers Competition and the European BEST Engineering Competition for several years. Last October, during the annual HelloOKNOPLAST#3 international conference, the group announced its sponsorship of the Krakow contemporary art museum MOCAK. This collaboration, which notably includes the OKNOPLAST FOR ART international competition, makes it possible to support the museum's cultural and educational activities for the next 2 years.

Artist profiles:

• Jakub Słomkowski (1^er price) – painter, designer, musician, creator of installations. Graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw (diploma in painting in the studio of Krzysztof Wachowiak in 2007). In 2004-2005 he studied at the Fine Arts Department of the Complutense University of Madrid.
• Andrzej Wełmiński (2^rd price) – visual artist, theater director, actor and director. His work includes drawing, painting, photography, objects, installations. He studied at the Faculty of Graphic Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. He then became associated with the Foksal gallery (beginning in 1970 as an anonymous artist) and the Krzysztofory gallery. He has presented a number of individual exhibitions and participated in numerous group exhibitions in Poland and abroad. From 1972 to 1992, he was an actor and member of the Cricot 2 theater, and played in the plays of Tadeusz Kantor.
• Mateusz Sak (3rd prize) – 3rd year undergraduate student in interior design at the Magdalena Abakanowicz University of the Arts in Poznan. The combination of her experiences in dance and in the fields of interior design, architecture and drawing constitutes a rich and varied portfolio.
• Honored artists: Marta Holderna, Ady Jurczak-Łowkis, Michał Iwański, Robert Kuta, Jerzy Kosałka, Maeva Drack, Klaudia Milačić.

The Oknoplast For Art 2023 jury is composed of:

• Anda Rottenberg, committee chair, Polish art historian, critic, art curator and publicist,
• Andrzej Bednarczyk, doctor of philosophy, rector of the Krakow Academy of Fine Arts, artist who combines many artistic fields,
• Maria Anna Potocka, art critic and director of the Krakow Museum of Contemporary Art MOCAK,
• Edyta Kurpiel-Placek, art collector, representative of OKNOPLAST – sponsor of the awards,
• Andrzej Starmach, art dealer, art historian and collector.