Czy słoik majonezu może trafić do tego samego świata co puszki Andy’ego Warhola i obrazy Basquiata? Łódź Kaliska od lat udowadnia, że tak — i właśnie wraca z nową odsłoną swojego kultowego projektu. Cykl Stefan i Majonez sezon II to jedna z najbardziej zaskakujących i bezkompromisowych premier artystycznych nadchodzącego sezonu. Wystawa do obejrzenia już od  11.06.2026 w Łodzi, w ramach SpinOFF Fotofestiwal 2026.

 

The legend of the Polish Neo-Avant-garde once again tackles symbols we all know from everyday life: national heroes, pop culture, advertising aesthetics, and items from the local shop. The result? A surreal, ironic, and exceptionally relevant commentary on contemporary Poland – balancing between high art, memes, and visual spectacle.

 

In a new cycle, the iconic Kielecki mayonnaise once again meets Stefan Żeromski. However, in the interpretation by Łódź Kaliska, this is no longer a simple joke or provocation. It's a deliberate play with the mechanisms of mass culture, where national symbols function today much like brands, celebrities, and internet icons. The artists show that pop art doesn't have to speak exclusively the language of New York – it can equally effectively tell the story of Central Europe, estate habits, and Polish obsessions.

 

The works shown at the exhibition come from the Kantor Sztuki collection. As Jacek Franasik, the founder of Kantor, says:

„The new works are more visually intense, more camp, and even more deeply immersed in the aesthetics of contemporary imagery. Łódź Kaliska mixes grotesquerie with pop-art elegance, staged photography with advertising opulence, and national pathos with the absurdity of everyday life.”

 

From the Łódź underground to an exhibition with Warhol and Basquiat

Although today Łódź Kaliska is considered a classic of Polish contemporary art, the group built its legend from the outset on scandal, provocation, and artistic rebellion. It was formed in 1979 and almost immediately became one of the most radical artistic phenomena of the 1980s. The artists associated with „Kultura Zrzuty” rejected the official language of art in the Polish People's Republic, blending Dadaism, performance, happening, and absurd humour.

 

Today, their works function not only as a legend of Polish counterculture but also as part of the international contemporary art scene. A particularly significant moment was the exhibition „POP ART VOIR PLUS…” at the MAC SAINT-MARTIN museum in Montélimar, France, where works from the Stefan i Majonez series were displayed alongside pieces by Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Richard Orlinski, and Erró.

 

For many viewers, it was a surprising, yet symbolic, pairing: a Polish jar of mayonnaise found itself alongside the most recognisable icons of global pop art. And herein lies the phenomenon of Łódź Kaliska – the group has for years demonstrated that locality can become a universal language of art.

 

Pop art, in Polish

Stefan and Mayonnaise Season II is not a nostalgic return to previous aesthetics. It's a project that exceptionally aptly fits into the contemporary world of image saturation, media symbols, and viral culture. Łódź Kaliska once again shows that irony can be a tool of social critique, and an ordinary food product, a fully-fledged protagonist of contemporary art.

 

The new exhibition promises to be one of the most striking artistic events of the season – intelligent, provocative, and incredibly colourful and photogenic all at once.

 

The exhibition can be viewed from 11.06.2026 to 31.08.2026 at Vienna House by Wyndham Andel’s Lodz, Ogrodowa 17, Łódź.

Exhibition opening and meeting with artists: 11.06.2026, 6:00 PM

The exhibition is shown as part of SpinOFF Fotofestiwal 2026 in Łódź