MNK Main Building
al. 3 Maja 1, 30-062 Kraków
“Citizen Cepelia” is the first critical, comprehensive exhibition in Poland devoted to one of the most influential yet least understood institutions involved in the production and distribution of artistic objects and works of art. Cepelia (the Central Office of the Folk and Artistic Industry) shaped the everyday aesthetics of Poles for four decades, influencing the appearance of their homes, clothing, souvenirs and even collective ideas about folk culture and tradition. It also played a significant role in building Poland’s image abroad. The exhibition presents this phenomenon from a broad perspective, combining social, design, visual and ideological contexts.
The exhibition reveals the full spectrum of Cepelia’s operations – from design and production, through research and experimentation, to systems of sales and exhibition-making. Visitors will see both modern products as well as so-called folk and retro items, alongside fashion, jewellery, souvenirs, posters and publications. The exhibition also presents examples of collaboration between Cepelia and the most outstanding creators of the era across various fields, including textiles (Jolanta Owidzka, Wojciech Sadley) and ceramics (Helena and Lech Grześkiewicz, among others). Visitors will encounter unique objects, short-run works by distinguished designers, as well as mass-produced everyday items, including examples of the famous “Cepelia kitsch.” Most of the objects on display have never been exhibited before; they come from private collections or have been retrieved from the storage facilities of various museums.
The exhibition aligns with the latest research on the material culture of the Polish People’s Republic (PRL) and helps explain why Cepelia – an institution of enormous social and cultural influence – continues to provoke mixed emotions even among museum professionals and specialists. It is a story about ideas, ambitions, aesthetics, and tensions that shaped Polish interiors in the second half of the 20th century and left a lasting mark on collective memory.
“Citizen Cepelia” invites reflection on how everyday objects were created in the PRL, the role aesthetics played within the state cultural system, and the ways in which Cepelia’s legacy is returning today in fashion, design practice and collective nostalgia. It is a story of an institution that remains one of the most important symbols of Polish material culture of the 20th century.
Curatorial team: prof. UAM dr hab. Piotr Korduba, dr Anna Wiszniewska
MNK Main Building
al. 3 Maja 1, 30-062 Kraków