Two prominent residents of Warsaw's Bielany district, Kora Jackowska and Krystyna Sienkiewicz, will be commemorated in the district's space with two murals. The initiative, initially proposed on a social basis, was taken over by the district authorities without consultation. The originators are disappointed.
neighbors from Stare Bielany
Photo: Tomasz Majewski
The pretext for the murals in 2021 is to be the 70th anniversary of Kora's birth, which falls in June . The famous Manaam singer and actress Krystyna Sienkiewicz were residents of Płatnicza Street in Stare Bielany. Now the district plans to commemorate them with two murals on the gable walls of the building at 44/50 Zeromskiego St. Their unveiling is scheduled for June 8.
closed competition
The realization of the project was announced on his Facebook profile by Grzegorz Pietruczuk - the mayor of the district. The project presented is the work of Tomasz Majewski - an illustrator and graphic designer. The proposed composition consists of twin murals, where the images of Kora and Krystyna Sienkiewicz were placed on the background of a star, based on their photographs. Additional decoration are red roses surrounding the artists' faces. Majewski's design was selected in a closed competition organized by the district's authorities. The selection was made by a group including Kamil Sipowicz, Kuba Sienkiewicz, Grzegorz Pietruczuk - the mayor of Bielany district, the deputy mayor, representatives of the district council and housing community, conservation services and cultural institutions.
idea seized
Photo: Czary-Mury
This mode of selection of the mural was a big surprise and disappointment for the initiators and initiators of its creation. The first design of the murals was developed by artists from the Czary-Mury initiative. In January 2020, they agreed with Joanna Radziejewska, a neighborhood councilor, on the location for the murals and submitted the project to the civic budget. However, their proposal was rejected for formal reasons - the project could not be carried out on the wall of a private building. However, Councilwoman Radziejewska did not relent in her efforts to implement the mural, and she infected the district authorities with the idea. The initiators learned that the project would come to fruition from a post on the district mayor's Facebook page. They were not informed that City Hall was proceeding with its implementation, nor were they even invited to the closed design competition.
Photo by Czary-Mury
The saddest thing about the whole story is the realization that they don't stand a chance against the authorities, despite their reasons. It's bad when brutal politics and political PR mix with art. In the back of one's mind, the fear will always smolder again, that initiating something and trying for several months could end up like this again. (...) It is good that these two murals will be created. Mrs. Krystyna Sienkiewicz and Mrs. Kora Sipowicz fully deserve to be commemorated in the most beautiful way. We greatly respect their work, sensitivity and personality. We approach every idea ideologically and very emotionally, which is why we cared so much about them.
Czary-Mury, excerpt from the published statement
