“Today’s exhibition is one of special character, as we are meeting here shortly before the 15th anniversary of the tragic events of 10 April 2010. Fifteen years ago, Mariusz Kazana, besides carrying out numerous duties of the Director of the Diplomatic Protocol, was ironing out the details of his passion project: a meeting of the representatives of the diplomatic corps and the accompanying exhibition he was supposed to open at the Diplomats’ Gallery after 10 April. Since 2010, the Mariusz Kazana Foundation has continued with his mission to elevate and support Polish art. Today, we are meeting on the MFA’s premises for the 32nd time!” said Barbara Kazana in her welcome speech.

The exhibition presents selected works by Professor Krzysztof Tomalski, which were displayed last year at the Andrey Sheptytsky National Museum of Lviv as part of the 11th Polish–Ukrainian Art Project Indeks im. Mariusza Kazany, organised by the Mariusz Kazana Foundation in collaboration with Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Lviv and Lviv National Academy of Arts. The title of the exhibition refers to the notion of existence as a not fully controlled drifting between the obstacles of obligations, chance, between the feelings of pleasure and duty.

“ I am glad that Ukrainian audience was able to see the exhibition. I hope it gave them not only a relief from their every-day war-time reality, but also faith that they have not been abandoned nor forgotten in the face of tragedy that struck them, and that they felt they belong to a global audience,” added Piotr Erenfeicht, Deputy Director of the Department of Promotion and Cultural Diplomacy.

Professor Tomalski’s graphic narratives concern both everyday matters and universal values. His art is an expression of constant encounters with the world, exploring it and discovering its values. Sometimes it asks questions with no hope for an answer. The event included a screening of a documentary by Zofia Tomalska, featuring Professor Tomalski speaking about his art, scientific inspirations, creating his own graphic methods, and combining tradition with an innovative approach.

The exhibition opening was attended by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Henryka Mościcka-Dendys, as well as members of the diplomatic corps, MFA employees, representatives of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and Kraków, and other guests. The works are on display until June 2025.

 

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The Mariusz Kazana Foundation was set up in 2010, after the diplomat’s tragic death in the presidential plane crash near Smolensk. It aims to keep the memory of the former director of the Diplomatic Protocol alive through carrying on the projects he never had a chance to finish. The Foundation’s mission is to build a positive image of Poland by popularising culture and art both within the country and abroad.