Rainbow as a symbol of art and change

From the beginning of November, a giant rainbow is to draw attention to an exhibition of historical and contemporary Polish art in front of the Albertinum in Dresden for several months. According to the State Art Collections (SKD), the artist Marek Sobczyk has created a new version of his "Simple Rainbow" from 1991 for "Change will come", which will be set up on November 5. The curators of the show see it as "a prominent example" of the artist's role as a contemporary witness and active shaper of change.

"Art is political and art is effective," said Marion Ackermann, SKD Director General, according to the press release. "When we engage with what art has to say to us, we change our perspective. In this way, we can succeed in building bridges through art."

Original rainbow disappeared - artist recreates it

Sobczyk's "Simple Rainbow" was created in 1991 for the Zachęta National Art Gallery in Warsaw. The artwork was on display in front of the building for three years. It returned there in 2019 and became a symbol of the revitalized public square as well as a platform for projecting political debates. In 2022, it was dismantled and disappeared. The artist has now created a new version especially for the Dresden exhibition, which will be erected in front of the Albertinum in his presence on November 5.

From 7 November to mid-March 2025, key figures of 20th century Polish art, their strategies and artistic practices from the doctrine of socialist realism to "small stabilization" and the "critical art" of the 1990s will be on display. Contemporary works from Belarus and Ukraine also reflect current crises and tensions.