Great Game

In 2021, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Stanisław Lem's birth, Bielsko-Biała artist Piotr Graff realized a mural on the wall of Building L of the University of Bielsko-Biala (until 2023 the Academy of Technology and Humanities). Inspired by the Year of Lem (2021), the mural portrays Lem engaged in a chess game with a humanoid robot, symbolizing the ongoing struggle between humans and technology and reflecting on the future of relations between humans and artificial intelligence. The bird’s-eye perspective adds a surreal dimension to this thought-provoking scene.

This artwork pays tribute to Lem’s legacy while symbolically merging the humanities and technology, two key areas represented by the university. The mural has become a significant feature of the university’s space, echoing the ideas of one of science fiction’s most influential writers.

The mural was made in a graphic style characteristic of the work of Piotr Graff, who is a graduate of the Graphic Arts Institute in Cieszyn, a branch of the Silesian University in Katowice. The mural exemplifies his monochromatic approach, using clear black outlines that reflect his graphic tradition.