A winner of the competition for the curatorial concept of the Polish exhibition at the 16th Gwangju Biennale 2026 has been announced! From among the submitted proposals, the Competition Committee has selected the project entitled “Rites of Passage” by Paulina Olszewska, which will thus represent Poland in South Korea.
“Rites of Passage” by Paulina Olszewska turns out to be the winning curatorial concept
The concept of the exhibition “Rites of Passage” is an immersive artistic project inspired by the “The White Book” novel by the South Korean Nobel Prize laureate Han Kang and the classic rites of passage theory developed by the French anthropologist Arnold van Gennep. The curator, Paulina Olszewska, will take up the topic of personal, social and cultural transformation, presenting it as a dynamic process of passing through states of limbo, uncertainty and metamorphosis. In the context of today’s political, ecological and social transformations, the exhibition becomes a space for reflecting upon the condition of the world and of an individual.
Designed as a multi-sensory journey, the exhibition leads visitors through the sequence of intertwining spaces. Different media – installations, ceramics, sound, image and photography – blend into a coherent narrative which not so much illustrates the passage, but embodies it. “Rites of Passage” does not propose a single story, but opens towards personal experiences, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in the process of change as an unavoidable, but at the same time creative aspect of human existence.
Results of the competition for an exhibition at the Polish Pavilion at the 16th Gwangju Biennale 2026
Results of the closed competition were announced on 16 June 2025. The jury composed of: Olga Wysocka (Chairwoman, Director of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute), Wonseok Koh (Curator, Director of the Line Cultural Foundation), Ewa Chwilczyńska (Coordinator of the AMI Asia Team), Małgorzata Miśkowiec (Coordinator of the AMI Visual Arts Projects) and conceptual consultant Paweł Janicki (Curator of the WRO Art Center and the Polish Pavilion at the Gwangju Biennale 2024 – “Katastematic Pleasures”), have announced that a concept prepared by Paulina Olszewska, entitled “Rites of Passage”, has won the competition.
In the opinion of the jury:
The project “Rights of Passage” stands out through a clear and communicative form which allows a broad outreach – both among professionals from the art world, but also among the public not dealing with art on a daily basis. A universal nature of this concept, based on liminal and transformational experiences, makes it possible to be received intuitively and emotionally also outside the European context.
The project’s specific strength is its being embedded in topics resonating with the current socio-cultural situation of South Korea. References to rites of passage and shamanism not only find reflection in local traditions, but also inscribe themselves in current interest in spirituality and cultural memory that is visible in the contemporary artistic discourse in the region. Even the exhibition’s title draws attention, therefore it can function as an invitation to the intercultural dialogue.
The project’s added value is also a subtle reference to literature – inspiration drawn from the Nobel Prize laureate’s novel written during her residency in Poland in 2014 represents a more thorough context and an additional interpretative layer. This intertextual trace links Polish cultural experiences with universal questions about identity and transformation, which – in the Jury’s opinion – may be of interest for the Biennale’s visitors and encourage in-depth reflections.
The Jury also honoured the curatorial concept prepared by Marta Lisok, entitled “The Shape Borrowed From Someone Else”, naming it as a backup project.
The Polish Pavilion at the prestigious biennale of contemporary art in Asia
Gwangju Biennale, established in 1995, is the oldest and one of the most prestigious biennales of contemporary art in Asia. Not only does it continue the rich cultural heritage of the city, but also plays a key role in developing contemporary art in South Korea and promoting Korean art milieus on the international stage. The Artistic Director of the 16th edition of Gwangju Biennale in 2026 will be Ho Tzu Nyen – a Singaporean visual artist known for its interdisciplinary approach to art and actions in this field.
Since 2018, as part of the Biennale, national pavilions have allowed cultural and artistic organisations from all over the world to present works from individual countries. Poland has participated in this project since 2023, when the first Polish Pavilion was organised – a three-day performative programme with video screenings, curated by Sebastian Cichocki and Marianna Dobkowska. In 2024 the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, in collaboration with WRO Art Center, prepared an exhibition entitled “Katastematic Pleasures”, curated by Paweł Janicki, which was recognised as one of the most interesting presentations during the 15th edition of the Biennale. In 2026 Poland will be represented by “Rites of Passage” – an exhibition based on the curatorial concept of Paulina Olszewska.
Paulina Olszewska – profile of the Curator
Paulina Olszewska is a curator, producer of artistic projects and author of texts. In her work, she focuses on work of female artists from different generations, embedding their practices in contemporary contexts. She is particularly interested in the Bauhaus heritage and its contemporary reinterpretations. She collaborated with, among others, Neues Museum in Nuremberg, Jindřich Chalupecky Association in Prague, Prater Galerie in Berlin, OP ENHEIM in Wrocław, Haus am Lützowplatz in Berlin, Kunstfest Weimar, Boris Lurie Art Foundation in New York, BWA Wrocław and Krakauer Haus in Nuremberg. Since 2019 she has been a curator of Galeria Studio in Warsaw. In 2022 she curated a project “The Future Should Always Be Better” by Sharon Lockhart, presented on the facade of the Palace of Culture and Science. In 2024, together with the Feminist Seminar, she organised an exhibition “We Want the Whole Life. Feminisms in Polish Art” at the State Art Gallery in Sopot. She lives in Berlin and Warsaw.
Congratulations!