International Festival of Visual Arts in Częstochowa and Zawiercie, Poland In a world overflowing with digital stimuli, Mail Art feels like a poetic relic—and yet, it’s more relevant than ever. At this year’s International Festival of Visual Arts "PO – Bridges of Multiculturalism", held in Częstochowa and Zawiercie, Mail Art plays a special role: as a medium of connection, a creative letter between cultures, and a quiet protest against forgetting.
What is Mail Art? Mail Art—also known as postal art—is a form of artistic expression that began in the 1960s. It’s not just about the artwork itself, but about the act of sending, sharing, and communicating. In an age of algorithms and automated messages, Mail Art is a deeply human gesture.
Mail Art at the Festival: Paper Bridges
As part of PO-MOSTY 2025, an international Mail Art project was launched, inviting artists from over 40 countries to send their works by mail. These include collages, drawings, texts, and photographs. The pieces aren’t curated in the traditional sense—they’re displayed side by side, democratically. Each envelope is a window into another world, an echo of a personal voice.
The exhibition, running from August 24 to September 12, 2025, shows how Mail Art crosses boundaries—geographic, political, and linguistic. It forms an artistic network not through platforms, but through envelopes and stamps. The works are often small in size, but powerful in message—ranging from calls for peace and environmental awareness to personal reflections.
The Beauty of Chance
One of Mail Art’s unique charms is its unpredictability. Each piece carries traces of its journey: creases, stamps, handwritten notes. These marks aren’t edited out—they’re embraced. The exhibition at Konduktorownia in Częstochowa presents the works in their raw, authentic form—like treasures discovered in a global scavenger hunt.
Mail Art as Resistance
In times of war, displacement, and social division, Mail Art also becomes a form of resistance. Many submissions come from regions where artistic freedom is not guaranteed. Sending a piece of art becomes a political act—quiet, but impossible to ignore.
This sixth edition features works from artists in 42 countries. The festival is led by Anita Grobelak, founder of the art group ATINA, and since 2024, president of the Regional Society for the Promotion of Fine Arts in Częstochowa.
Festival Overview: The festival begins this coming weekend, marking the 6th edition of the International Festival of Visual Arts "PO – Bridges of Multiculturalism", this time under the theme "Silesia" (August–September 2025). It takes place in two cities in the Silesian region: Częstochowa and Zawiercie. Originally launched in Częstochowa, the festival now expands to Zawiercie—partly because the Warta River, which flows through both cities, begins there.
Mail Art at PO-MOSTY 2025 is not nostalgic play—it’s a living testimony of global connection. It proves that art doesn’t need to shout to be heard—sometimes, a single letter can build a bridge.
Participating Countries: Artists from 42 countries are taking part, including Germany, Japan, Brazil, France, Iran, the USA, and many more.
Perter Abajkovics,
Ram Krishna Agrawal, Zahra Alizadeh, Lutz Anders, Romualda Anioł-Lubas, Žiedūnė Aleknaitė, Derya Avcı, Jeff Bagato, Ali Asker Bal, Agnieszka Balewska,
Joanna Banek, Sabela Baña, Avni Xh Behluli,
Maria Grazia Brusegan, Małgorzata Buczek-Śledzińska, Alfonso Caputo,
Christine Carré, Sabriye Çelik, Rajesh Chand, Jenny Carola Dussan Charry,
Ryosuke Cohen, Nani Corina, Vlasta Črčinovič Krofič, Renata Danicek,
Resshma Das, Binod Dawadi, Rebeca Dorich, Edyta Dzierż, Marta Frąckowiak, Gloria Fu Keh, Picasso Gaglione, Urmila
Gahnolia, Roman Golub, Mariusz Gosławski,
Michał Graczyk, Adjei Gregory, Anita Grobelak, Guroga,
Nihal Güres, Ahmet Hakan,
Ula Hellebrand, Alexandre Herve, Uwe Höfig,
Suzlee Ibrahim, Monica Jain Goyal, Maria Janiga, Juraj Jonke, Dominik Kamiński, Małgorzata Kania, Marzena Kaspieruk, Michael Kazemi,
Mehri Khodabakhshhessar, Sahar Khodsiani, Keith Kitz, Wojciech Kołsut, Marta Konieczny, Alicja Kowalska, Iwona Kręciwilk, Ashok Kumar, Daiva Kupstienė, Jolanta Kuśmierska, Felipe
Lamadrid, Ciarán Leonard, Altea
Leszczyńska, Daiva Linauskaite, Patrycja Longawa, Virginie
Loreau, Iwona Machoń-Pluszczewska, Bernard Mailer, Krystyna Malinowska,
Katerina Mandarik, Rohini Manindra, Amol Mathur, Krzysztof Mazoń, Christophe Massé, Michelangelo Mayo, Suely Castro Mello, Anna Mészáros, Rahul Mhetre,
Jolanta Michalak, Amal Missaoui, Verdiana Calia, Mattia Montemezzani, José Antonio Hinojos Morales, Agnieszka Mrozek, Maya
Lopez Muro, Keiichi Nakamura, Marzieh Namdar, Rahman Nikbakht, Paweł Pacholec,
Vilius Paulauskas, Janina Partyka-Pojęta, Juan Fran Núñez Parreño, Irena
Paskali, Giovanni StraDa, Renata StraDa, Maria Piątek, Bruno Pierozzi, Laura
Pintus Lapis, Zuzanna Poplewska, Rittiner & Gomez, Abdolreza Rabeti, Negar
Rabeti, Radoslav Rochallyi, Lesya Ros, Marcia Rosenberger, Elżbieta Anna Sadkowski
(Samek), Jyoti Saini Siddiqui, Reen Sanderse, Roberta Savolini, Lars
Schumacher, Izabela Sehn-Wójcik, Hannah
Shapiro, Constantin Simidreanu, Anna Śliwińska, Antida Taheri,
Irina Tall, Antida Tammaro, Horst Tress, Danièle Turgeon, Simon Warren,
Agnieszka Wójtowicz, Huang Wu – Peng, Adam Wyżlic, Aliasghar
Valinejad, Carlos Eduardo Vera, Dragana Vesović, La Toàn Vinh, Birgitta Volz, Viktoriia Yaniv, Maryam Hossein
Ali Zadeh Khorasani, Nono Zilahi, Jolanta Ziółkowska, Felhazi Lenke Zsuzsanna,
Nika Zusin, Diana Żarów.
Organizers and Partners: Art Group ATINA, Regional Society for the Promotion of Fine Arts in Częstochowa, Cultural Center "CENTRUM" in Zawiercie, City of Zawiercie, Stara Łaźnia Gallery, Zwiastun Gallery, Photoclub of Poland, Nova Photo Art Group, APEL – Social and Artistic Magazine; - Artistic Director: Anita Grobelak - Curatorial Team: Karolina Kindler-Skowronek, Jolanta Kuśmierska, Joanna Matyja, Agnieszka Mrozek, Waldemar Siatka
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