You will learn:
Who Łucja Skomorowska-Wilimowska was and what impact she had on post-war Polish sculpture.
What conditions were like at a post-war art academy – both socially and in terms of workshop supplies and access.
How war trauma influenced the activity and atmosphere of the academy.
Why Wrocław became such a strong centre for glass and ceramics.
How the problem of “female” continuity in sculpture manifested itself.
How gender and social roles affected the perception of artistic work.
What influence communist-era politics and oppression (People’s Republic of Poland) had on artistic activity.
What studios and artistic infrastructure looked like immediately after the war.
How the post-war social need to “mark” public space shaped artistic specialisations.
What policies for outdoor sculpture looked like: planning, funding, commissioning, and maintenance.
What artistic labour remuneration looked like before and after the war.
What the national-level visibility of sculpture was at the time.
The lecture took place on 11 October 2025 during a science-popularisation forum from the series “15% of Abstraction”, organised by the Art Transparent Foundation. This year, we focused on the social, productive, and affective dimensions of women’s artistic labour, with particular attention to Lower Silesian sculptors, ceramicists, and designers.
The forum “The Blank Spots Are… – Post-war Sculptors and Ceramicists of Wrocław” was an open space intended to gather dispersed materials and stories about the biographies and works of Wrocław-based sculptors and ceramicists, including Janina Szczypczyńska, Regina Konieczka, and the Skomorowska sisters. Four discussions and a lecture took place, during which we examined not only the historical contexts of the artists’ biographies but also their legacy and influence on the work of subsequent generations.