Collecting imperfections – dialogue on holiday postcards from Poland

Łukasz Gorczyca is not only an art historian, curator and gallerist, but also an avid collector of Polish socialist postcards. Pavel Vančát discussed his view of “socmodern” architecture, leisure and tourism through the prism of postcards and the changes in socialist elan and ethos.

PV     What led you to collect postcards and when did you first start?

ŁG     To be honest, I can't pinpoint the exact moment it began. It might have been one of those childhood obsessions, driven by the desire to gather various objects. I always saw postcards as little treasures, like pocket-sized windows to different parts of the world, a way to embark on exciting journeys that weren't physically possible. So, I began by collecting any postcards I could get my hands on, often from family members. I still have some of those in my collection.

PV     How has the focus of your collection evolved over the years?

ŁG     In the late 1980s, when I was still in primary school, I began purchasing postcards from the 'Ruch' kiosks. (Ruch was a state-owned company responsible for distributing magazines, newspapers, and producing postcards.) Initially, I bought postcards from my holiday trips, which was a bit of a challenge. Postcards were not always readily available, especially at popular tourist destinations where they tended to run out of postcards from the location itself. Instead, you'd find various cards from distant places.

After the fall of communism, I intentionally started collecting socialist postcards. Many of these were still around, particularly the so-called "boring postcards" that depicted housing estates and socmodern architecture, as Martin Parr aptly named them. That's when my true collection took shape. Once I had acquired everything available through regular distribution, I started scouring flea markets and online platforms for socialist postcards. I initially focused on socmodern architecture and organized the collection by different types of buildings and infrastructure.

PV     Martin Parr's "Boring Postcards" series has become quite famous. Have you ever considered creating something similar with your collection?

ŁG     I vividly recall the day I stumbled upon the first "Boring Postcards" book by Parr many years ago. I was genuinely thrilled to find someone who shared a similar obsession! From the outset of my collection, I believed it had significant potential as a visual record and reference material. However, it soon became apparent that it had artistic potential as well. The German curator, Tobias Berger, saw a portion of my collection in one of the exhibitions at Raster in 2002 and invited me to the Baltic Triennial in Vilnius that same year. There, I assembled a 20-meter-long wall display featuring around 1,500 postcards of socialist spa resorts, camping sites, and more. Since then, my project has worn two hats: one as a collection of postcards documenting architecture and propaganda, and the other as an open archive that can be utilised in various ways.

Currently, I'm not collecting much, as it's become increasingly challenging to find cards I don't already have in my collection. Specifically, I mean socialist postcards from Poland that cover topics related to the modern architecture of that era. Nevertheless, I feel a deep sense of nostalgia for the collection.

PV     Are you searching more for bizarreness and exclusivity or for capturing the mundane?

ŁG     I want them all. (laughter)

PV     In Czechoslovakia, some well-known photographers made their living from postcards during the 1950s-80s. Was that similar in Poland? Was it lucrative work?

ŁG     Yes, many established photographers were involved in producing or selling pictures for postcards in Poland. However, based on my research, it wasn't necessarily a highly lucrative profession. It often served as one of their many roles alongside photography for the press, books, exhibitions, and so on. Moreover, many photographers were not particularly passionate about it. Postcards were predominantly viewed as mass-produced propaganda and not considered an exciting venture.

PV     Do you consider some of your postcards artistically interesting?

ŁG     When we consider postcards from socialist Poland, very few of them can be regarded as "art" but there is a wealth of excellent photography. During the 1950s and 1960s, most postcards were produced using traditional analogue photography processes, with real black & white prints. Some of them are truly remarkable.

PV     Did you try to talk to some of the photographers or even publishing editors?

ŁG     I had a conversation with Paweł Pierściński, one of the active photographers associated with the Union. Even after 1989, he continued to produce postcards as his own business but he wasn't particularly enthusiastic about the whole endeavour, both before and after 1989. Nevertheless, there is a precise instructional document from the 1970s issued by Ruch publishers to guide photographers on how to capture the perfect image for a postcard, and it's a valuable and intriguing resource for understanding the correct approach.

PV     Are you interested in the back sides of the postcards? What can they possibly reveal about the time?

ŁG     I'm definitely intrigued by how postcards have been functioning within the public and social sphere. I have my own memories from my grandma's socialist workplace where they used to exchange postcards from their holidays and display them under glass on their desks. This speaks to the work culture under communism where every second was potentially spent dreaming of escaping a mundane job. Concerning the messages written on socialist postcards from Poland, there's no better resource than the collection assembled and published by Paweł Szypulski on Auschwitz cards.

PV     Some of the Czech postcards, especially from the 1950s, openly stated that the new communist regime was granting noble privileges to everyone. Is a similar class unification evident in Polish postcards?

ŁG     Such class unification was particularly pronounced during the Stalinist period from the late 1940s to the mid-1950s. Propaganda was much more direct during this time, combining image and text. I can provide two examples, one featuring the logo of FWP (Fundusz Wczasów Pracowniczych, Fund for Workers' Holidays), a new organization responsible for funding holidays for the working class. However, after the political thaw of the 1960s, communication became more subtle and relied purely on visuals.

PV     How did the mood of the holiday images change over time?

ŁG     Every decade had a distinct character. The 1950s featured somewhat sombre pictures influenced by the aesthetics of socialist realism and homeland photography. The 1960s introduced more modern but still black & white images, often with empty landscapes and socmodern architecture. The 1970s marked the vibrant era when colour postcards became the standard, and cheerful people were integral to the imagery. By the 1980s, we witnessed a surge in mundane and peculiar postcards with random images, printing defects, and absurd compositions. The entire system seemed to be unravelling. These changes are intricately connected to political and economic shifts. Since the late 1960s, our visual culture has emulated Western capitalist patterns, evident in posters, advertisements, photobooks, and other forms, although the content remained 'socialist.'

PV     Can you directly observe the social and economic changes in post-war Poland through the postcards?

ŁG     Absolutely! It's visibly apparent, and conducting a more in-depth study on this subject would be intriguing. One aspect is the materiality of the postcards themselves. Printing standards changed, quality and technology improved but the selection of motifs and how they were portrayed is equally significant. Additionally, you can track the people depicted on the cards—what they did, how they dressed, and so on. Even though postcards were manipulated and censored, they still offer a glimpse into the depicted era.

PV     How much did the socialist ideology dictate the style and content of Polish postcards?

ŁG     As I've mentioned, it was a conscious product of state propaganda under full control. However, this makes the postcards even more captivating. The communist party was fixated on the idea of modernising society and shaping a new landscape for the socialist person. Hence, they produced postcards featuring new housing estates, prefabricated flats, schools, offices, and state buildings. All of which you'd hardly imagine sending from your holiday to your family. (laughter) I remember a high school trip to Gdańsk in 1987-1988 when my friend and I couldn't help but laugh hysterically in one of the Ruch shops while buying a postcard set titled 'Polak w kosmosie' (Polish Man in Space), dedicated to the only space journey by a Pole in 1978 as part of the Soviet Intercosmos programme. By the late 1980s, everyone around us was already laughing; the propaganda had become so obvious, absurd, and corrupted.

PV     The Czech holiday postcards were mostly limited to domestic tourism, sometimes extending to the Baltic Sea or Yugoslavia. Visits outside the Eastern Bloc were mostly reserved for the elite. Is this "limited world" visible in Polish postcards?

ŁG     There's an intriguing ambivalence in holiday postcards. On one hand, they strive to visually highlight sunsets at the Baltic Sea, and magnificent lake and mountain views. On the other hand, they depict overcrowded beaches, camping sites, massive spa resorts, and large, 'ugly' hotels, all to fulfil their propaganda objectives—emphasizing that in a socialist society, everyone is affluent enough to enjoy holidays in modern resorts for the working class.

PV     You also collect specific English holiday postcards. Can you identify differences in Western and Eastern post-war optimism?

ŁG     Indeed, I have a fondness for British postcards produced during the 1950s and 1960s by John Hinde, which depict working-class holiday camps in England. These postcards are characterised by their superficiality, bright colours, and abundant entertainment. In our part of the modern world, the postcards had a more melancholic tone with numerous imperfections. There was always a certain gap, a sense of distance between the East and the West, including the absence of high-quality printing technology. We all had the feeling that we lived in an artificial environment, with the real world existing somewhere else. The postcards vividly unfold the tale of this extraordinary socmodern landscape, a world that has all but faded into history.

Photo captions

1 | Łukazs Gorczyca, image generated by Nikola Ivanov and Midjourney, 2023

2 | Porąbka-Kazubnik. Complex of recreation and training houses of the Metallurgical  Renovation Company, photo: A. Szymański, published by KAW, 1984

3 | Świętoujść. Camp "Tramp", photo: W. Makarewicz, published by KAW, 1985

4 | Borowy Młyn. Holiday resort of the RSW (The Workers Publishing Cooperative), published by KAW, 1977

5 | Kąty Rybackie. Holiday resort of the POLMOT Automotive Transmission Plant in Tczew, photo: S. R. Sadowski, published by KAW, 1983

6 | Ustroń-Zawodzie. Wellness and holiday house "Złocień", photo: J. Tymiński, published by KAW, 1980

7 | Zakopane. Hotel "Orbis Kasprowy", photo: A. Chmielewski, A. Stawicki, published by KAW, 1976

8 | Hel Peninsula. Camp "The Little Sea", photo: Z. Błażejczyk, published by KAW, 1986

9 | - 

10 | Szczyrk. The miners' tourist and sports centre "Zagroń". Reception desk, photo: J. Siudecki, published by Ruch, 1960s

11 | Jarosławiec. Family holiday resort of the Trade Union of State and Social Workers, photo: K. Madejski, published by PTTK, 1962

12 | Masurian Lake District. Camp at Święcajty Lake, photo: A. Stelmach, published by Ruch, 
1971

13 | Rudno. At lake – holiday and training resort of ZSMP (Union of Polish Socialist Youth), photo: J. Kozłowski, published by KAW, 1980s

14 | Szczyrk. The holiday resort "Zagroń", photo: J. Tymiński, published by KAW, 1980s

15 | Krkonoše National Park. At the summit of Sněžka, photo: L. Surowiec, published by KAW, 1980s