First Retrospective of Alicja and Bożena Wahl in Berlin Reclaims Their Place in European Art History

First Retrospective of Alicja and Bożena Wahl in Berlin Reclaims Their Place in European Art History 

On 9 September 2026, the Center for Contemporary Arts in Berlin will open the first comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the work of Alicja and Bożena Wahl to be presented outside Poland. The retrospective will feature a selection of the artists’ works from 1960–1985, alongside archival materials, including photographs, film footage and correspondence with art galleries. The project restores the work of the Wahl sisters, which has been largely forgotten in recent years, to its place within the European art scene, highlighting the emancipatory and pioneering nature of their work. 

The Wahl Sisters – Painters, Illustrators and Set Designers 

Alicja and Bożena Wahl, twins born in 1932, graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw in 1957, where they studied in the studio of Eugeniusz Eibisch. Until the early 1970s, their work was remarkably similar, almost impossible to tell apart, even though the sisters worked in separate studios. During this period, the twins became particularly well known for their drawings. Throughout their careers, however, they experimented with a variety of techniques. The sisters regularly published illustrations in magazines such as Kultura and Ty i Ja, and designed book covers for the Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy and the Czytelnik publishing houses. They also created costumes and set designs for theatre and television, among them the renowned Kabaret Starszych Panów. 

The sisters exhibited together both in Poland – making their exhibition debut in 1961 at the Krzywe Koło Gallery in Warsaw – and abroad, including Berlin (1974), Hamburg (1973, 1975), Paris (1967, 1968, 1980), Stockholm (1971) and New York (1975). They maintained close friendships with documentary photographer Tadeusz Rolke as well as writer and director Jean Marie Drot. They also remained in contact with sculptors Alina Szapocznikow and Magdalena Abakanowicz. 

In 1979, Alicja Wahl established the A.B. Wahl Gallery, a private gallery, in her home in Warsaw’s Żoliborz district. It was one of the first commercial galleries in Poland and operated until 2002. During this period, the gallery became an important meeting place for writers, artists and diplomats. Its exhibition programme focused primarily on art rooted in the surrealist tradition – something clearly visible in the sisters’ own work. Following the fall of the Iron Curtain and the political transformation in Poland, critical art became the dominant aesthetic paradigm, causing the work of the Wahl sisters to disappear from public view. 

The Exhibition Tensions: Between Feminism and Surrealism 

The exhibition Tensions is the first comprehensive retrospective of Alicja and Bożena Wahl to be presented outside Poland. Presenting a selection of works from 1960–1985 alongside archival materials, including photographs, film footage and correspondence with galleries, the exhibition focuses on an important period in Alicja and Bożena Wahl’s artistic practice and presents their work to an international audience for the first time. The exhibition highlights the sisters’ significant contribution to the diverse and multifaceted artistic landscape of the former Eastern Bloc. It also points to the emancipatory potential of their work, which, although created in isolation from the European feminist movement, addresses female corporeality in an exceptionally intuitive and original way. 

The surrealist and feminist dimensions of the sisters’ work take centre stage. In their shared visual universe, human and non-human figures are often caught up in emotional relationships characterised by a constant struggle between independence and attachment. Many of these images contain autobiographical elements and refer to personal experiences and emotions such as intimacy, sadness and despair. The recurring motif of doubling reveals an ongoing dialogue between the sisters. 

Drawing on previously unseen archival materials, the exhibition also explores the international context of the sisters’ artistic work and activities. Letters and exhibition invitations from galleries across Europe and around the world make it possible to trace a network of people who, in the post-war period, helped overcome Cold War divisions and supported the exchange of ideas across national and ideological borders. In addition, Alicja Wahl’s 450 notebooks – whose full review and analysis is still ongoing due to their sheer volume – offer a personal insight into the art scene of the second half of the 20th century. 

In addition to drawing, the Wahl sisters also worked on set designs for television plays, created costumes for theatrical performances, and created illustrations for book and magazine covers. These works will also be presented in the exhibition. 

The exhibition takes place as part of Berlin Art Week. 

The exhibition is supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and co-funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland. 

Tensions – practical information 

Location: CCA Berlin – Center for Contemporary Arts, Berlin, Germany 
Exhibition opening: 09.09.2026 
Exhibition dates: 10.09–14.11.2026 
Curator: Susanne Mierzwiak 
Artists: Alicja Wahl, Bożena Wahl 
Organiser: CCA Berlin – Center for Contemporary Arts in collaboration with Fundacja Wahl 
Partners: Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation, with additional support from the Kemmler Foundation 

More information: https://cca.berlin/en/program/2504/alicja-and-boena-wahl-tensions