CHOPIN ON TAMKA — A NEW LOOK

The image of the outstanding composer is inseparable from Powiśle. It is here that numerous institutions bearing his name are located — the Music University, the National Institute and the Museum. In 2010, murals created by Good Looking Studio joined this group as part of an initiative undertaken to mark the celebrations of the Chopin Year. One of them was painted on the wall at ul. Tamka 37. Nine years later, Good Looking Studio painted a refreshed Chopin mural at the same location on a pro bono basis. Its display was planned for two months, due to the wall's intended change of use.

Chopin's history in the area is therefore deeply rooted, and the composer's image has become a permanent fixture of the district's landscape. With this in mind, Good Looking Studio — even while the new mural at Tamka 37 was still being painted — began efforts to preserve Chopin's presence in Powiśle on a different wall. After several months, having obtained all the necessary approvals, the goal was achieved. In this way, the expectations of the local community, which had called for the composer to be restored to the neighbourhood's landscape, were met.

The author of the successor to the Tamka 37 mural is once again Beata "Barrakuz" Śliwińska. Painting began on 28 October, and within just 10 days, the mural was complete. The work by Good Looking Studio artists can be admired at Tamka 45a, on the facade of the building visible from Ordynacka Street, in the neighbourhood of the Fryderyk Chopin National Institute. Students of the Music University can also admire their patron from the windows of their university building. Honorary patronage over the mural was assumed by the National Centre for Culture.

The collage format and the message of the mural have been preserved. The aim was to present Chopin in a form that would capture attention and spark interest in this outstanding Pole among young people. The memory of such figures must endure, and to achieve this it is essential to bring their history and creative legacy closer to successive generations in an accessible way. In "Barrakuz"'s design, Chopin is therefore a young man who inspires curiosity — fashionable, free from complexes, entertaining, drawing the attention of his peers and the cream of Warsaw society. This is a Chopin for our times, stepping beyond conventional boundaries and defying convention.

"Chopin — Forever Young" has returned to Powiśle for longer. The display will certainly remain unchanged for the next 24 months, with the possibility of an extension. The entire project is Good Looking Studio's gesture of appreciation towards the local community. This is decorative wall painting executed with great cultural taste.

It is well worth including this spot on the map of your next stroll and welcoming Chopin back to the streets of Powiśle.

Article published: November 2019