“A Brief Vacation” exhibition returns in a new Berlin edition

On 12 March 2026, the gallery of the Polish Institute in Berlin will transform into a Transsanatorium, hosting a new edition of the exhibition “A Brief Vacation”. The project was first presented at the Polish Pavilion at the Triennale di Milano in 2025. The Berlin presentation goes beyond a simple adaptation of the exhibition to a new venue. Instead, it introduces a completely new “daytime” version of the Transsanatorium. Drawing on the tradition of sanatorium terraces and heliotherapy practices, the installation invites visitors to pause, rest and experience the space as a place of regeneration. The exhibition will remain open until 30 April 2026. During its run, a public programme conceived as a series of “treatments” will activate the space through performative and participatory encounters, allowing “A Brief Vacation” to function as a genuine site of rest and recovery.

Rethinking comfort

“A Brief Vacation” redefines comfort as care and redistribution. Its specially designed environment encourages visitors to slow down and relax through sound, scent and imagery, while also prompting reflection on what hygiene means today. 

The Transsanatorium, designed by architect Aleksandra Wasilkowska, takes its name from Vittorio De Sica’s 1975 film of the same title. Combining functionalism with spirituality, the project transforms urban waste –  heat, soil and grey water –  into resources for renewal, pleasure and wellbeing. In this sense, the Transsanatorium operates as a prototype of a new urban service: a transcultural and trans-species space. As the authors describe it:

“We imagine small buildings with autonomous ventilation and sanitation infrastructure, embedded in the landscape and designed to support regeneration and inclusivity.”

Addressing one of the most pressing challenges of our time – social inequality – the exhibition proposes an inclusive vision of urban sanitary infrastructure inspired by sanatorium traditions deeply rooted in the history of urban planning and public health. The Transsanatorium offers access to rest and comfort – something urgently needed in the “burnout society” described by Byung-Chul Han.

A “daytime” Transsanatorium in Berlin 

The first presentation of “A Brief Vacation” at the Triennale di Milano in 2025 took the form of a prototype chamber inspired by the tepidarium – an ancient Roman room designed for relaxation and social gathering.

For the Berlin edition, the Transsanatorium will take on the form of a sanatorium terrace connected to heliotherapy – sunlight therapy historically practiced in health resorts. The “daytime“ installation will be arranged around the Gallery’s large sunlit windows. Opposite them, a sculpture by Olaf Brzeski in the form of a daybed will invite visitors to rest and linger. Łukasz Rusznica’s photographic work “Feral Veduta” will complement the view outside the window – the Spree river and Berlin’s Museum Island – creating a dialogue between the artwork and the surrounding urban landscape.

“Our Treatments” – a public programme with Berlin-based artists

The Berlin edition of “A Brief Vacation” is accompanied by a special public programme titled “Our Treatments”. Curator Katarzyna Roj and architect Aleksandra Wasilkowska invited local artists to co-create the programme, giving it a distinct urban context.

The exhibition opening on 12 March 2026 will include a performance by Julia Maria Plawgo. On 11 April 2026, Berit Fischer will lead the workshop “Radical Emphatic Lab”, exploring relational and affective dimensions of shared experience. On 29 April, Alicja Wysocka and Oskar Oksana Pawełko will guide visitors through a somatic practice and participatory performance, activating the body as a tool for perception, rest and collective empathy.

“A Brief Vacation” exhibition was first presented by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and BWA Wrocław at the Polish Pavilion during 24th International Exhibition Triennale Milano 2025.

Public programme:

• Thursday, March 12, 2026, 7 p.m.
  • Inauguration of the A Brief Vacation retreat with the participation of the artists and performer Julia Maria Plawgo
• Saturday, April 11, 2026, 2 p.m.
  • Berit Fischer – Radical Emphatic Lab: Restoring What Sustains Us
• Wednesday, April 29, 2026, 7 p.m.
  • Alicja Wysocka and Oskar Oksana Pawełko – somatic experience and participatory performance

“A Brief Vacation” exhibition - practical information:

• Artistic team: Katarzyna Roj (curator and narrator), Aleksandra Wasilkowska (Multicultural Transsanatorium project), Olaf Brzeski (sculpture), Berit Fischer (Radical Empathy Workshop), Antonina Nowacka (music), Łukasz Rusznica (photography), Alicja Wysocka (visiting protocol), Oskar Oksana Pawełko (performance), Julia Maria Plawgo (performance), Agata Bartkowiak (visual communication), Monika Opieka (scent)

• Organizers: Polish Institute in Berlin, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, BWA Wrocław

• Location: Gallery of the Polish Institute, Burgstraße 27, 10178 Berlin

• Opening hours: 13:00–18:00 Tuesday–Thursday; 13:00–17:00 Friday