COURAGE

connecting collections

The exhibition in the Zachęta Art Gallery was the first monographic presentation of Wojciech Zamecznik's work. It concentrated mainly on the interconnections between graphic design and photography in Zamecznik's artwork. Nearly 300 objects shown at the exhibition - photographs, sketches, prints, documents, and films - are the proof for Zamecznik versatile heritage. In the same time, personal notes, detailed calendar, and accompanying texts shed light on the everyday struggles and reality of graphic designer in the beginning of socialist times in Poland. The exhibition shows also the independence of thought, ingenuity and innovation of Zamecznik as an art creator, as well as his connections to the progressive artists, such as Oskar Hansen, Henryk Tomaszewski, Jan Lenica.

The exhibition took place in 2016 in Lausanne, thanks to the engagement of the Polish Ministry of Culture. It included between 150 and 200 pieces which presented Zamecznik's vast photographic production: from original silver prints to colour productions in the form of projections. The collection was completed by original posters, album covers, and publications, along with his 16mm films showing diversity of Zamecznik's work.

The most significant event in the history of the present collection was the donation of the major part of Mihnea Berindei’s personal archive to the Iași County Branch of the Romanian National Archives (Serviciul Județean al Arhivelor Naționale Iași, SJAN). This event occurred in two stages. First, the founder agreed to donate a smaller portion of his archive to the institution in March 2013, when he retired from his research position and relocated to Venice. SJAN seemed the most appropriate option due to the existence of adequate storage space and specialised trained personnel and the future accessibility of these papers to the wider public. The transportation of these materials to Iași was possible due to the direct involvement of Dorin Dobrincu and to the support of the head of the Iași Branch of the National Archives, Florin Cîntic. An agreement was concluded between SJAN and the Berindei, according to which the archive was to be inventoried, catalogued, and separated into a special archival unit – the Mihnea Berindei Collection. Second, the larger remaining part of the archive was donated by the founder to the SJAN in 2016, shortly before his death, under the same conditions. Dorin Dobrincu’s role was crucial in this phase, as he personally oversaw the transportation of twenty-two large boxes comprising Berindei’s papers to Iași. In this ad-hoc collection, only the documents relating to the history of communist Romania have been selected. The materials stored in Iași are currently in the process of being inventoried and catalogued. At the time of writing, the collection has not yet been thoroughly described and archived.