Contemporary Lynx 7 2017 1

The north-east port town of Szczecin, Poland was witness to a very unique spectacle during the first weekend of March. Contemporary Lynx invited street artist Slawek ZBIOK Czajkowski to participate in a project none like before – to hand paint 2,964 magazine covers, which would comprise the fifth print issue of Contemporary Lynx

Sławek ZBIOK Czajkowski, The World Is A Mess, 11 x 16 m, painting on 2,964 Contemporary Lynx’s Magazine covers, TRAFO Centre for Contemporary Art in Szczecin, 3–5 March 2017, photo by ZBIOK

ZBIOK is a Polish street artist working and living in Warsaw. His artworks can be recognised by their bright and arresting colour compositions, and painterly nods to pop art. This was the most challenging project of the artist’s career to date. From the 3rd – 6th March ZBIOK transformed rows of blank white PVC sheets into striking works of colour. These individual forms all had their designated role, they were components of a larger collective image – a 16 x 11 metre painting of a luminous sea harbour, clad in glaring shades of lime green, azure and cobalt blue. Every speck, every dribble of fluorescent paint that hit the canvas would become its own unique magazine cover. This way every magazine cover is its own work of art, an inimitable treatment by the artist himself, unlike reproduced covers seen in traditional methods of printing and publishing.

Creating innovative designs of a high calibre has always been an integral part of Contemporary Lynx Magazine. Following the positive reception garnered from our mirrored cover designed by Wojciech Puś for our fourth issue, we were keen to stretch the limits of print magazine production even further. This issue focuses on street art, urban art and social and political art created in public spaces. You don’t have to possess a gallery pass or an exhibition ticket to consume and appreciate street art. Unlike the perfectly kept and preserved artworks of white cube spaces, street art is open to all. Everybody is able to witness the artwork created by ZBIOK, and is invited to be a part of it.

The carefully chosen location, the TRAFO – Centre For Contemporary Art, boasts an impressive, expansive space, ideal for a project of this scale and nature. Throughout the course of the weekend, the gallery doors were open for all to witness the live painting process as it happened. One could wander around the perimeter of the exposed first and second floors, which enabled a birds-eye view of the entire artwork unfolding below.

The event was bolstered by a rich programme of events including an opening reception on Saturday 4th March, daytime workshops for children, and a roundtable discussion with the directors of Contemporary Lynx and the artist himself.

Words: Maggie Kuzan