Embark on a fascinating journey into the world of Polish women designers at the New Museum of Art in Gdansk. This unique traveling exhibition, running from May 12 to August 6, is showcased as part of the two-year "Looking Through Objects" project, with SWPS University as a proud partner. The project's visionaries use multiple media forms to highlight the role of Polish design as a powerful agent of social and cultural change over the past decade.
Women shaping design
The exhibition "Looking Through Objects: Women in Contemporary Polish Design" is part of a two-year project implemented by the National Museum in Gdansk, supported by SWPS University. The inaugural edition was carried out in collaboration with the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design in Tallinn and was financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage as part of the “Kultura Inspirująca” (Inspiring Culture) program. You can experience the second installment of this remarkable exhibition at New Art Museum in Gdańsk (NOMUS) until August 6.
A program of events and activities runs alongside the exhibition, including design workshops, lectures, and curatorial tours for both Polish and English-speaking audiences.
For further details, visit the New Art Museum website
The narrative of the “Looking Through Objects” exhibition focuses on contemporary Polish women designers. It begins with carefully selected objects, which provide valuable insights into the ongoing transformations in Poland. These showcased objects encompass various categories, ranging from mass-produced industrial items to unique individual designs. The designers' approaches are equally diverse, spanning from the pragmatic execution of commissions to artistic and intuitive quests for creative freedom.
We engaged in multiple conversations with each designer to explore their inspirations, creative processes, individual strategies, and approaches to materials. We wanted to understand their influence and contribution to the changes that have taken place. The myriad of creative strategies proves that art, craft, and technology, which we often segregate, are in fact connected and can harmoniously coexist within a single project. Design serves as a catalyst for art, crafts, and industry, all while offering a canvas for the unique creative choices of these talented female authors.
Dr. Agnieszka Jacobson-Cielecka and Dr. Gian Luca Amadei
exhibition curators
Exhibition leaflet
Learn more about the Looking Through Objects project
Read more about the Design Stories seminar
Exhibition on the road
Last summer, art enthusiasts had the opportunity to witness a dual exhibition featuring the works of Polish and Estonian female designers. This innovative showcase took place at the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design, the strategic partner of the project's first edition.
Read more about the exhibition in Tallin
Visit the "Looking Through Objects" exhibition in Gdańsk
Date and location: May 12 – August 6, 2023, New Art Museum, Jaracza 14, Gdańsk
Participating designers: Agnieszka Aleksandra Bar, Alicja Bielawska, Alicja Patanowska, Anna Bera, Izabela Sroka, Julia Cybis, Justyna Popławska, Karina Marusińska, Karina Królak, Patrycja Smirnow, Magda Jurek, Maja Ganszyniec, Malwina Konopacka, Maria Jeglińska, Megi Malinowsky, Monika Patuszyńska, Róża Brito, Wiktoria Szawiel
Project coordinators: Agata Abramowicz, Gabriela Brdej
Visual identity and graphic design for the exhibition: Kasia Kubicka
Exhibition design: Dominika Janicka
Publicity and communication: Paulina Szwaj
Education: Noemi Etush, Nadzieja Mielewczyk
Media support: VOGUE, LINIA, trojmiasto.pl, gdansk.pl
Organizers and partners
Exhibition organizers
Exhibition partners
About the curators
Agnieszka Jacobson-Cielecka
Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
Is a design curator and critic She is active in several design-related fields. As a curator, she develops and organizes exhibitions and various art programs. As a journalist and design critic, she writes about design and comments on different phenomena and observes trends. She is a renowned promoter of young designers from Poland and other countries around the world. She is interested in design as a discipline striding both culture and economy. Dr. Jacobson-Cielecka is a co-author of a unique design teaching program at SWPS University’s School of Form. She curated numerous exhibitions of Polish design, presented in Europe and Asia. She is a member of program committees and juries of many Polish and international festivals.
Gian Luca Amadei
Ph.D.
Is an independent academic researcher, curator and internationally recognised design and architectural journalist. His research interests intersect between design, architecture, urban planning, sociology and cultural context. Gian Luca is an advocate of life-long learning and currently a Visiting Lecturer at the Royal College of Art in London, on the Information Experience Design MA at the School of Communication. He is also the author of the following books: Discovering Women in Polish Design (Adam Mickiewicz Institute 2009) and Victorian Cemeteries and the Suburbs of London (Routledge 2022).
Dario Lombardi
Graduated with a Master’s degree in Photography from the Istituto Superiore di Fotografia e Comunicazione Integrata in Rome. He works as a freelance photographer in Vienna. Dario specializes in portrait photography, including theatre, dance and fashion. Dario is the author of the portraits appearing in the book Discovering Women in Polish Design by Gian Luca Amadei.