‘Demolishing the Wall of Exoticism’: The People's Republic of China's Art Exhibitions in Poland, 1951–7

Between 1951 and 1957, Poland hosted eight art exhibitions hailing from the People's Republic of China (PRC). Organized under the Treaty of Cooperation between the two countries, these exhibitions fulfilled the double objective to present China's artistic development to Poland and to establish a shared Communist identity. This article examines the organization and content of these events, focusing on the key role that de-exoticizing discourses played in the construction of the cultural relations between the PRC and the People's Republic of Poland (PRL). It reveals that Poland's ambiguous position in the West/East divide and the narrative of its past struggle against imperialism were pivotal to establishing relations with the PRC. The study of the PRC-organized art exhibitions in the PRL calls attention to how historical and cultural differences shaped communist countries’ strategies in the making of cultural and political ties with the PRC.