Professional Contemporary Art Exhibitions and Their Reception and Interpretation by Blind People

This publication addresses the issue of accessibility in contemporary art exhibitions. It presents the second edition of the art project entitled Touch of Art II, organised by the Institute of Fine Arts, Faculty of Arts, MCSU in Lublin. The project takes the form of a nationwide art competition open to professional artists and has resulted in a number of exhibitions (e.g. CSK Lublin, 2024; BWA Bielska Gallery, 2024; RIPPL Gallery, Kaposvár, Hungary, 2024; Wozownia Art Gallery in Toruń, 2025; BWA Gallery in Kielce, 2025). The initiative promotes a multisensory experience of artworks, designed to be accessible to a wide range of audiences. The participating artists were encouraged to create their works with visually impaired viewers in mind. The article also presents a case study on the reception of contemporary art by a person completely blind from birth. The study was conducted at one of the exhibitions using a research tool developed by the author – a questionnaire for the perception of art, based on a model of the structure of an artistic work, taking into account the layers of: content, form, creativity and emotionality (Niestorowicz, 2017; 2024; see also: Ingarden, 1966; 1970; Gołaszewska, 1986; Popek, 1999). The findings indicate that audio description, particularly when based on curatorial texts, significantly enhances the viewer’s understanding and readability of both the form and content of the artwork. These factors also influence the positive evaluation of the work, in terms of its creative and emotional dimensions