27.09.2024 - 16.03.2025, 00:00
11.10.2024, 12:00 - 20:00
TY I JA. LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE FROM PEEREL
opening: 26.09.2024, 6:00 PM
exhibition: 27.09.2024-16.03.2025
In 1960, when the thawing optimism faded, replaced by a modest and unexciting 'small stabilization,' a true phenomenon appeared in Polish kiosks – the monthly magazine 'Ty i Ja.' The title first caught the eye with its witty and sophisticated cover – a graphic variation on the titular couple. Upon opening, it surprised with its scope and colors: full-page photographs, collages showcasing fashion straight from Paris, illustrations accompanying excerpts from new publications, advertisements: cheese, water heaters, household gloves, and erasers presented as the most attractive goods from the upper shelf. Once the reader settled on a sofa with the hard-to-get issue – the entire print run sold out like fresh rolls – they learned what DNA helix is, how to arrange a modern kitchen, and how to prepare 'croque monsieur, or crispy bread.'
The exhibition '»Ty i Ja«. Lifestyle magazine from Peerel' at the Meeting House with History is the first extensive presentation of the magazine's phenomenon, which, despite the policy of tightening belts, showcased the lifestyle of the European middle class. By showing fashion and design, it was itself a meticulously designed object. The visual setting was created by Roman Cieślewicz, who was replaced after a few years by Elżbieta and Bogdan Żochowscy. 'Ty i Ja' reproduced drawings by Picasso and Topor, reprinted Baldwin and Bulgakov, with fashion articles by Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz and design pieces by Oskar Hansen. It is often said that it was a 'window to the West,' but it was also a product of a post-thaw, modernizing Poland, where it was still necessary to remind people about brushing their teeth, and ratatouille was presented as a gourmet dish.
The exhibition at the Meeting House with History will be an opportunity to learn not only about the magazine's graphic design but also its content. The issues and reproductions will be accompanied by archival materials: cover and spread designs, fragments of graphic designers' workshops, as well as reinterpretations of the 'Ty i Ja' phenomenon viewed through the eyes of contemporary artists: Nicolas Grospierre, Tomasz Szerszeń, and Szymon Zakrzewski. Those curious about what outfit we will wear to the Moon will find out in September at the Meeting House with History. The curators of the exhibition are Julia Libera and Agata Szydłowska.
26 September (Thursday) at 6:00 PM we invite you to the opening of the exhibition and a concert by Zuzanna Wrońska with visualizations by Kuba Maria Mazurkiewicz.
The exhibition 'TY I JA. Lifestyle magazine from Peerel' at the Meeting House with History will be open from 27 September 2024 to 16 March 2025.
Soon we will announce the program of accompanying events – curator-led tours, meetings, workshops. We encourage you to check the program on our social media and on the website https://dsh.waw.pl.
TY I JA. LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE FROM PEEREL
curators: Julia Libera, Agata Szydłowska
exhibition project: Lotne Studio
graphic design: Kuba Maria Mazurkiewicz
contemporary artistic comments: Nicolas Grospierre, Tomasz Szerszeń, Szymon Zakrzewski
film authors: Karol Białas (photography), Dominik Czapigo (interviews), Paweł Wiszomirski (editing)
project coordination, exhibition production: Julia Libera and Zuzanna Andruszko and Magdalena Stefańczyk (collaboration)
editing: Małgorzata Purzyńska
translation: Krzysztof Ścibiorski
proofreading: Anna Kaniewska (Polish), Christopher Smith (English)
preparation of photos for print: Skanery Niewiarygodne
exhibition project realization: Pracownia Tryktrak
event program: Marta Czyż, Weronika Komorowska, Agata Kucharska, Julia Libera, Kaja Stępkowska, Agata Szydłowska
family guide development: Magdalena Kreis
promotion: Marta Czyż, Marianna Januszewicz, Marta Rogowska, Nadzieja Rudzka, Kaja Stępkowska
DSH thanks for the help in realizing the exhibition:
Teresa Kuczyńska, Krzysztof Gierałtowski, Tadeusz Rolke, Magda Byczewska, Dominik Czapigo, Monika Czerniewska, Klara Czerniewska-Andryszczyk, Elżbieta Jasińska, Dominika Laskowska, Anna Libera, Jan Libera, Maja Mroszczak, Jan Olaszek, Hanna Rechowicz, Jan Strumiłło, Andrzej Tomaszewski.
Co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund.
organizer: Meeting House with History, a cultural institution of the Capital City of Warsaw
partner: Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw
media partner: Dwutygodnik, Notes Na 6 Tygodni
media contact: Kaja Stępkowska, k.stepkowska@dsh.waw.pl
Julia Libera – cultural studies expert, graduate of the Institute of Polish Culture at the University of Warsaw. She works at the Meeting House with History in Warsaw, where she heads the exhibition department. Producer of exhibitions including 'Zbyszko Siemaszko. Photographer of Warsaw,' 'Posed, Spied. Photographs by Wojciech Plewiński,' 'Niedenthal,' 'City Vision. Photographs by Czesław Olszewski,' 'Tadeusz Rolke. Warsaw Photographs,' and 'Polish Poles. Himalayas '74 and Antarctica '77 in the photographs of Mirek Wiśniewski.'
Agata Szydłowska – researcher, author of books, curator. Graduate of art history at the University of Warsaw, School of Social Sciences at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, holds a PhD in ethnology. She works in the Department of Design Theory at the Faculty of Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, where she teaches, among other things, the history of design. She is interested in interdisciplinary research on design, particularly the intersections of design with politics and social life. Author and co-author of books on typography, Polish graphic design, and magazines from the PRL, including 'Futerał. On Arranging Apartments in the PRL,' for which she received a nomination for the Marcin Król Award, the Historical Award of Polityka, and the 'Must have 2023' quality mark awarded by Łódź Design, 'Paris in a Domestic Way,' and 'From Solidarity to TypoPolo,' as well as scientific and popular science articles. She is also a co-creator of the long-term project 'Zoepolis' dedicated to interspecies communities, encompassing exhibitions, artistic research, and a book.