70th Anniversary of the Gallery at the Old Town Cultural Centre

The Arton Foundation is a partner of the exhibition and the research and educational programme dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the art gallery at the Old Town Cultural Centre.

On 30 June this year, it will be exactly 70 years since the opening exhibition inaugurating the gallery’s activity on the second floor of the Old Town Cultural Centre (Staromiejski Dom Kultury). Operating at the time under the name Krzywe Koło Gallery, it was the first post-war art gallery in Poland. After years of Socialist Realism, it focused on progressive, avant-garde, and socially engaged contemporary art.

Seven decades later, in the very same space, Klaudia Figura, Piotrek Kowalski, Piotr Maciejowska, and Ada Adu Rączka will jointly reconfigure the gallery as part of the anniversary celebrations, creating a site-specific installation that interprets its history in relation to contemporary artistic practices and the role of cultural institutions. The programme will also include performances by Kacper Szalecki and the collective Przyszła Niedoszła.

70th Anniversary of the Gallery at the Old Town Cultural Centre

artists: Klaudia Figura, Piotr Maciejowska, Piotrek Kowalski, Ada Adu Rączka
performers: Przyszła Niedoszła (Paula Jędrzejczak, Marta Matysiak, Joanna Ogińska, Lena Pierga), Kacper Szalecki
curatorial team: Zuzanna Andruszko, Kinga Cieplińska
in collaboration with: Kamila Falęcka, Marcelina Gorczyńska, Marika Kuźmicz, Adam Parol, Franciszek Smoręda

The historical component was developed during workshops at the Faculty of Artistic Research and Curatorial Studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw.
workshop concept and academic supervision: Dr. Piotr Słodkowski
students: Hania Augustyniak, Laura Byśkiniewicz, Gabriela Cholewińska, Aneta Dmochowska, Anka Kobierska, Gabriela Kowalczyk, Martyna Krawcewicz, Gabriela Lis, Marta Milewska, Ewa Mirończuk, Anna Moszczyńska, Milana Pepenina, Agata Pogorzały, Janka Stelmaszyk, Antonina Sawicka, Angelika Woźniak, Anna Ziółek

visual identity: Michał Siciński (Punkt Widzenia)
exhibition architecture: TURNUS, Jakub Antosz
coordination: Zuzanna Andruszko, Kinga Cieplińska, Kaja Werbanowska
organisers: Promocyjna Gallery, Old Town Cultural Centre
partners: Arton Foundation, TURNUS
media patronage: SZUM Magazine, NN6T, Miej Miejsce, Hus Magazine, Radio Kampus, Going., TVP Kultura

The project is funded by the City of Warsaw.