“Choreography of Hands and Shadows” workshop at the Polish Pavilion at the close of the 24th Triennale in Milan

The 24th edition of the Triennale in Milan is drawing to a close. On the occasion of the exhibition “Short Holidays”, the Polish Pavilion will host a unique workshop entitled “Choreography of Hands and Shadows”, led by Alicja Wysocka from 6 to 8 November 2025. With their eyes covered, participants will follow the artist’s voice and gestures, taking part in a collective somatic practice that combines rest with a subtle choreography of care. The event is organised by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute in collaboration with BWA Wrocław.

“Short Holidays” – a hybrid space of care and regeneration at the 24th Triennale in Milan 2025

Since 1923, Triennale Milano has invited designers, architects, and artists from around the world every three years to address key issues of contemporary life. The 24th edition, entitled “Inequalities”, explores various forms of disparity through ten exhibitions, eight special projects, twenty international presentations, and numerous installations and events, showcasing global visions, urgent challenges, and diverse perspectives.

On this occasion, the Polish Pavilion has prepared an exhibition entitled “Short Holidays”, devoted to inequality in access to rest and the need to create new, inclusive spaces for regeneration in a world shaped by a “burnout society”. Curator Katarzyna Roj and architect Aleksandra Wasilkowska proposed the concept of the Transsanatorium – a hybrid social infrastructure combining the functions of a sanatorium, a bathhouse, and a place for community care. A prototype relaxation chamber was created in the Polish Pavilion, featuring a meditation couch by Olaf Brzeski, music by Antonina Nowacka, photographs by Łukasz Rusznica, and scents by Monika Opieka. Within this interior, choreographer Alicja Wysocka guides participants through an experience of physical regeneration and collective care. The project is both a reflection on, and a practical implementation of, a vision for urban services of the future – caring, inclusive, and attuned to the rhythms of nature.

Workshop: “Choreography of Hands and Shadows” – a sensory experience with blindfolded eyes in the Polish Pavilion

The 24th International Triennale Exhibition in Milan will run until 9 November 2025. The closing event of the exhibition “Short Holidays” will feature a workshop led by Alicja Wysocka, entitled “Choreography of Hands and Shadows”. It is a half-hour somatic experience and participatory performance within the exhibition space. Alicja Wysocka is a visual artist whose practice explores alternative economic models, common goods, and shared forms of community life. Her work creates an imaginative framework for collective life and shared prosperity. Through a multidisciplinary approach, she realises projects that often function as collective therapeutic experiences.

This intimate performance invites participants to discover rest as a collective act and care as a subtle choreography. For thirty minutes, the blindfolded audience follows the artist’s voice and gestures, engaging in a collective somatic practice – a “hand choreography”. The participants’ shadows are traced with charcoal on the wall, leaving a temporary record of their shared presence and silent connection.

Schedule of the “Choreography of Hands and Shadows” workshops:

• 6 November 2025, 11:30 a.m. – Workshop for seniors with the Dance Well group, which promotes contemporary dance practice in museum and artistic spaces, aimed primarily, but not exclusively, at people living with Parkinson’s disease. The classes develop participants’ expressive potential through dance.

• 7 November 2025, 3:00 p.m. – Closed workshop for curators of the 24th Triennale.

• 8 November 2025, 3:00 p.m. – Workshop for the public, free and open to all. Number of participants: up to 15 people. Advance registration on site is required.

Exhibition “Short Holidays” at the Polish Pavilion at the 24th Triennale Milano:

• Dates: 13 May – 9 November 2025

• Finissage: 6–8 November 2025, choreography workshops with Alicja Wysocka

• Exhibition team: curator Katarzyna Roj, Transsanatorium architect Aleksandra Wasilkowska, sculptor Olaf Brzeski, composer Antonina Nowacka, olfactory artist Monika Opieka, photographer Łukasz Rusznica, choreographer Alicja Wysocka, graphic designer Agata Bartkowiak, support: Maciej Bujko.

• Organiser: Adam Mickiewicz Institute

• Co-organiser: BWA Wrocław – Galleries of Contemporary Art

• Production team: Joanna Andruszko, Estera Broda, Tytus Ciski, Dawid Fik, Natalia Gedroyć, Klaudia Gniady, Tomasz Koczoń, Barbara Krzeska, Malwina Malinowska, Julia Marczuk-Macidłowska, Agata Opieka, Karolina Padło, Marcin Pecyna, Michał Sietnicki, Joanna Sokalska, Francis Thorburn, Julia Wójcik

• Project co-financed by: Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland and Wrocław City Council

• Partners: Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Milan, Polish Cultural Institute in Rome, PFR Nieruchomości