14.10./ Foyer Gallery — Ryszard Szwedowicz — “Forbidden Songs” — illustrations

14.10.2026 Wednesday 17:00
14 October (Wednesday) at 17:00 we invite you to the Foyer Gallery for the opening of the exhibition — free admission.
The exhibition is open until 13 November from Monday to Friday from 8 am to 6 pm and during the events — free admission. 1 and 11 November the exhibition is closed.
Forbidden Songs is a collection of illustrations for works that were created in the post-war reality, giving hope and bringing joy to the generation that woke up to the reality of communism. The collection includes works from the early period of Ryszard Szwedowicz's work, fresh and cheerful in color, although it was a time when pencil and felt-tip pen were synonymous with regimented prestige. Cards of a boy with dark hair combed with brilliance, able to dream and sing; calligraphed and decorated with charming illustrations — referring directly to the clear and extremely communicative art of the Polish poster. The author came from a family talented in music. He and his two brothers, were not only artistically gifted, but they sang and played instruments beautifully. Family gatherings were permeated with music and singing, allowing us to rise towards a space of freedom, which was in short supply. It is a correlation of lyrics and simple-minded “miniatures” that carefully reflect the atmosphere of the songs heard and experienced in person. This is a charming journey into the past, which can be read from woven words, sounds and cartoon snapshots. A large part of this material is occupied by women: beautiful, mysterious, sensual, longing for a kiss and a gust of love, a meeting that is foreshadowed by music attuned to the chords. The stage is a landscape imagined, or perhaps dreamed, in which one can perceive the fleeting moments, permeating the very contrasting worlds of human loops, emotions and desires.
Ryszard Szwedowicz (1940 — 2012) was a decorator, artist, social activist and poet. He came from Vilnius, where his roots were — the land from which he grew up and which he longed for sentimentally in his stories and poems. Vilnius will return in the memories and dreams of a boy who, like the shoot of a chestnut tree, was transplanted to a completely new place, which was the reclaimed lands. For several months he studied at the Lyceum of Fine Arts in Szczecin. He interrupted his education at the art school for family reasons. He returned to Szczecinek and attended the Princess Elizabeth Secondary School in Szczecinek. After passing the high school diploma, he supplemented his knowledge in the field of fine arts and knowledge of art. He graduated with honors, a two-year study in decoration and advertising in Warsaw. His drawing teacher was Viktor Zin. Ryszard Szwedowicz worked as a decorator for most of his life, becoming a recognizable face in his local environment. He was the creator of numerous graphic designs used in advertising. He was engaged in oil painting and restoration of antique furniture and carving motifs. He loved landscapes, to which he devoted an important part of his life. He took part in numerous decorating competitions in Poland and abroad, obtaining prestigious awards and distinctions. He left behind an artistic legacy in the form of oil paintings, drawings, illustrations, church interior designs and reflections on culture, which he poured into paper with the insight of a sage. He was friends with many Polish artists, an example of which is preserved in the home secretary, a rich correspondence. A man with broad cognitive horizons; curious about the world and people — constantly searching for splinters of beauty in the history of his own life — marked by the stigma of post-war reality and eradication. He was the father of two daughters Anna and Małgorzata, and a son Raphael — a clergyman and art historian.
The exhibition is co-organized with the State High School of Fine Arts in Szczecin.
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