Polish artists urge Krakow’s National Museum to fight the far-right with new exhibition

More than 500 artists, historians and curators are calling on the the National Museum in Krakow to fight against rising Polish nationalism with a new exhibition documenting the global struggle with facism.

The group urged the museum to showcase artists opposing violence, xenophobia and oppression, telling directors that they had “a chance to play an important role in educating Polish society” amid “brutal attacks against minorities”.

The protest comes just weeks after the museum’s controversial #heritage exhibition, which used the pieces from the institution’s vast collection to retell the history of the Polish state. While curators claimed that the show aimed to stimulate debate and discussion on Polish history, critics accused the show of pandering to growing populist sentiment, deliberately skimming over less savoury moments from the country’s past.

The National Museum in Krakow has invited the protesters to submit an exhibition proposal, but has declined to comment further.

Source: The Art Newspaper