There is one good thing about forgetfulness – one can get excited by something more than once. Last year I did a hike from Ustroń to Wisła. Once I reached my destination, I saw an information about a historic villa called Ochorowiczówka. It was a home for a Museum of Magical Realism. Yet it was too late (and I was too tired) to see it. Then I forgot about the museum – I just recalled the villa being there.
Another Hike – Another Surprise
This year I made another hike from Ustroń to Wisła. This time however, I chose a different route. Before reaching my destination I made a very short detour to visit a mountain shelter.* To my surprise Telesforówka (as it was its name) had a small geeky surprise. There was a kind of flat wooden sculpture (not exactly a relief) portraying a dragon. I am only guessing that it may be the dragon from Polish children’s TV programme aired in the seventies (Pora na Telesfora – “It’s Time for Telesfor”). Yet whether that’s the case I don’t know – I should have asked. The sculpture doesn’t look like the dragon from Pora na Telesfora so there is a possibility that name came from elsewhere.
Jadwiga the Dragoness meets Telesfor.
When I reached Wisła I saw a poster of Ochorowiczówka and the museum there. At first I got excited, but then I realized this was the museum I wanted to visit since 2024. Sadlt it was Monday and almost most of the museums were closed, so again I missed seeing it. Yet this was not a tragedy as on Wednesday a friend of mine gave me a lift there.
Museum of Magical Realism
Depending on the person, Magical Realism is considered a subgenre within SFF or not. I am not an expert so I won’t be arguing about that. Yet what I am sure about is that many works of magical realism are of potential interest to SFF fans – including myself. To me they touch the same part of the soul that SFF does.
Museum lies within a walking distance from the town’s centre. Even before entering it, one can see two great sculptures that inspire imagination. In fact to me, inspiring imagination was the main motif of the Museum of Magical Realism. The venue is small but full of art – mainly by Polish artists.
After getting near the villa it was easy to realize that the museum was there.
The vast majority of art presented are paintings, prints, and sculptures. A few styles and motifs could be spotted. Not all of those would charm everyone, but there were more than enough pieces I found fascinating.
Most of the sculptures were kept in a single place.
I would like to mention a few artists exhibitied in the museum. The first of them is Jakub Różalski. His works were represented by the prints of digital art. His style is a mixture of classical paintings and SFF motifs. Outside of Poland he would be best known from the illustrations to the Scythe board game, and Iron Harvest video game. The second artist I would like to mention is Wojciech Siudmak. Sadly there were just a few of his works on the display. His art was inspirational for Denis Villeneuve, and it is featured in one edition of Dune book series in Poland.
I deeply regret that Zdzisław Beksiński was not represented in the museum. I thought that I saw one of his pieces, but I cannot find it on the photos I took, so I am not 100% sure. Having said that, there were some paintings where the influence of Beksiński was clearly visible. A good example would art of Krzysztof Heksel. Some of his works evoked in me the same feelings that eerie art of Beksiński do.
One of the works by Krzysztof Heksel.
Salvador Dali
The best known artist exhibited in the museum was Salvador Dali. Of course there were not too many works by him, but nevertheless they were quite impressive. The one that I found the most SFictional was a litographic print of The Sacrament of the Last Supper. Whenever I look at it I get the feeling it could be taken from the remake of Batllestar Galactica TV series. I am amazed by how strongly this piece resonates with me on many levels. I would love to see the original painting one day.
The Sacrament of the Last Supper by Salvador Dali, as seen in the Museum of Magical Realism.
Some of his other works were on display, including sculptures and designs of perfume flasks. As stated, Dali’s art didn’t take a lot of space but it was certainly a great part of the whole collection.
Other Things to See
While I am tempted to write about every piece I found intriguing I will refrain from doing so. I hope that the pictures I took would better show what one may expect in the Museum of Magical Realism. Yet before finishing this part I need to mention one more thing. Most of the exhibition in the basement was dedicated not to the art, but to the person from whom the building took the name – Julian Ochorowicz. He was a rather interesting person so please allow me to link you to more information about him.
There was one more, very geeky place in Wisła – Lego Exhibition. I am not able to recommend or advise against it, as I didn’t visit it. There is a hope I would be able to do so next year, but don’t treat that as a promise.
Geeky attractions alone are not enough to justify a long trip to Wisła. Yet it is a very nice town surrounded by the beautiful mountains. Should one be in that area of Poland, going to the Museum of Magical Realism is definitely a great thing to do.
And as a post scriptum I will add bonus picture from the local museum in Ustroń. It featured a temporary modelling exhibition, and among many realistic works I found also some SFF gems.
Metal Gear Solid in the Museum of Ustroń.
My next post should appear within a couple of weeks.
* Technically it was not a shelter, but a bar or a restaurant located at the top of a mountain.