„A szövőszéktől Krosnoig”. Válogatás a II. Krosnoi Nemzetközi Textilművészeti Biennálé anyagából (Zalaegerszeg, 2003)

others: embroidery, macramé, knit fabric, quilting, collage as well as painting and printing on linen fabric. The items presented on this exhibition are also various, both in plane and spatial forms. All technical means were subjected to the art expression, that is why the artists frequently use the term of "artist's own technique", especially when using other materials beyond the woven ones. Nevertheless, most of the objects were built in the form of structures created with the use of different weaves which make it possible to achieve rich, various textures as well as numerous colour and painting effects. It is not to be wondered at, as weaving itself is the archetype of human activity and besides an autonomous phenomenon having unlimited possibilities, irrespective of the epoch or a cultural circle where it is practised, let alone the pressure of trends and fashions in art. Weaving seems to be over and beyond time and, at the same time, it may create eminent works of art, thanks to the talent of artists. The creations will always be accompanied, as they have been throughout ages, with the same mysterious power and emotion which constitute imperishable values. It does not mean, however, that the artistic objects created with the use of other techniques do not provide us with rich visual impressions and do not evoke emotions. The spatial works, thanks to their dynamism or sculpture character, frequently surprise a viewer with their form, sometimes an organic one, close to nature, and sometimes geometrical in its expression. They activate the viewer's imagination evoking different associations, while plane works, both those of transparent and more concise form, especially those woven ones, may be thought of in more contemplative terms. The charm of linen, discovered ages ago, apart from other values of the material, consists in its subtle hue of natural silvery shades of grey or white and, owing to noble acceptance of colours, mainly from natural pigments, causes that it is a permanently attractive material which makes it possible to achieve a rich spectrum of colours, valuable not only for artistic purposes but also for the textile industry and clothing fashion. In the period between the two World Wars, there was a campaign under the heading "Polish linen", which promoted extensive use of the fibre, emphasizing its values and, at the same time encouraging the cultivation and processing of this plant, known in Poland for a long time and deeply rooted in the tradition of the country. We can only be glad to see that, though in a different form, the interest in linen comes back, initiated by the exhibitions in Krosno in the form of the International Biennial Exhibition of Linen Artistic Tapestry under a meaningful title "Z krosna do Krosna". Warsaw, August 2002. Irena Hum! Trans. J. PajaL