Info
About the competition:
The Best Media Art Graduation Projects Competition, organized by the WRO Art Center and the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław, has for years served as a platform bringing together eight public art academies in Poland: in Gdańsk, Katowice, Kraków, Łódź, Poznań, Szczecin, Warsaw, and Wrocław. At each institution, diploma committees select one work – a representation of distinct methods and sensibilities in thinking about media art. Together, these works form not only a survey but also a dynamic field of exchange, where different educational models are confronted, aligned, and put to the test.
This year’s edition is held under the title superuser_do.
The phrase references the system command sudo, which allows users to perform actions with administrator-level privileges, overriding default restrictions, intervening in system structures, and implementing changes. The exhibition positions artists as superusers: individuals who, through specialization, gain the agency to test, transform, and negotiate the rules of reality. The defense of a thesis marks a moment of transition – from the framework of study to independent practice. Although each work operates in a distinct language, they are united by a critical awareness of the conditions in which we function and a readiness to intervene. These are not only attempts to escape the system, but also actions taken from within – testing its limits, seeking loopholes, and proposing alternatives.
Exploring the relationship between humans and technology – at once nurturing and oppressive; capturing sound generated by biological networks and aquatic flow systems; exposing corporate realities shaped by loops and overload; intervening in image-making and recording tools; constructing a queer archive processed through AI; and examining high fashion in provincial contexts – these are the fields of activity engaged by the artists whose works comprise this year’s exhibition at the WRO Art Center.
Awards:
Main Prize + Format Magazine Award: Józef Jakacki / the camera is silent, I speak
Honorable Mention: Martyna Konieczny / Cottage(hard)core
Audience Award: Martyna Konieczny / Cottage(hard)core
HERE you can read the verdict of the jury, composed of Elena Papadaki, Dobromiła Błaszczyk, and Kuba Żary.
hus magazine Editors Award: Bartek Walczak / I Used Up All My Sick Days So I Called In Dead
Contemporary Lynx Editors Award: Agata Polak / Mycosphere 3.0: Artistic and scientific exploration of Web 3.0 through mycelium and its underground queer methodologies.
IP Studio Special Award: Agata Polak / Mycosphere 3.0: Artistic and scientific exploration of Web 3.0 through mycelium and its underground queer methodologies.
Being selected among the eight nominees already constitutes a significant distinction. From this group, an international jury has chosen the best work and awarded the Main Prize of 20,000 PLN, funded by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage. The verdict was announced during the exhibition opening on April 24, 2026. The selected artist will also be featured in an article in Format magazine, dedicated to their artistic practice.
The editors of Contemporary Lynx will award one artist by publishing an interview with them. hus magazine – a printed art magazine – will grant its own editorial award, with the selected artistic practice to be developed and presented on its upcoming audio channel. IP Group will award one of the artists with the opportunity to undertake a micro-residency at IP Studio in Wrocław.
