The artists of Group 404 (Grupa 404), active since 2014, focus on socially engaged practices and the creation of visual messages that directly engage with modes of artistic presentation. The
group’s coherent artistic statement is expressed through their graphic works and the contexts
in which they appear, including the arrangement and site of display, social phenomena, and
the textual layer.
The group often employs strategies that bring into the realm of art activities that, at first
glance, seem unrelated, such as the organisation of events, graphic competitions, and
publications. In its projects, Group 404 (Grupa 404) addresses ‘borderline’, problematic, or culturally ‘lost’ themes, including the province, propaganda, error, and distaste. This approach reflects a
strategy grounded in critical potential, analysing culture through the lens of marginalised or
overlooked values and attitudes.
By working in this way, the artists not only challenge homogeneity and established rational
orders but also, through activating the peripheral, sensitise audiences and affirm diversity as a
genuine possibility for the emergence of more complex social and artistic structures. These
structures correspond more closely to contemporary social reality and contribute to the
deepening of socialisation processes.
The group’s activities emphasise the conceptual and processual potential of art, divesting it of
its commodified character. Group 404’s (Grupa 404‘s) practices are inherently utilitarian, oriented towards change and the active engagement of viewers.
Since its inception, the group has realised the artistic project Bunt. Nowe ekspresje [Polish:
Bunt: New Expressions], which draws on the tradition of avant-garde art while responding to
contemporary social challenges and tensions.
Artists:
Krzysztof Balcerowiak
Andrzej Bobrowski
Marta Chudy
Stefan Ficner
Gosia Gazda
Dorota Jonkajtis
Tomasz Jurek
Maciej Kozłowski
Maciej Kurak
Kamila Lukaszczyk
Agnieszka Maćkowiak
Maryna Mazur
Maja Michalska
Witold Modrzejewski
Paulina Niemczuk
Grzegorz Nowicki
Kornel Ofierski
Monika Pich
Maksymilian Skorwider
Weronika Stefaniak
Piotr Szurek
Michał Tatarkiewicz
Radek Włodarski