During Milan Design Week, international audiences will have a unique opportunity to learn more about the design culture in Poland. The exhibition “Romantic Brutalism. A Journey into Polish Craft and Design” will be set in a historic apartment in the city centre. The exhibition will combine contemporary themes and works by young creators with historical references and design masterpieces.
A Hundred Years of Polish Design in Milan
In 1925, Poland presented itself at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris. This event had a symbolic meaning, as the country reborn in 1918 finally had the opportunity to present itself to the world speaking with its own artistic voice. Arts and crafts became transmitters of national identity, important elements of what was to constitute the “modern Polish style”. Culture was used as soft power, an effective tool for diplomacy.
A hundred years later, the curators of the exhibition “Romantic Brutalism. A Journey into Polish Craft and Design” refer to this event during Milan Design Week. The exhibition will be organised around key motifs that appear in Polish design culture: references to folklore, fascination with the local landscape, and references to organic shapes that appear in the landscape.
"Romantic Brutalism" exhibition, fot. Ludovic Balay
A Journey Through the Traditions and Modernity of Polish Crafts and Design
Using archival works and the works of twenty-three contemporary designers, the creators of the exhibition will refer to trends visible in contemporary Polish design, including: romantic motifs, modernism, but also brutalism. The exhibition will present the wealth of materials used by Polish designers and traditional manufacturing techniques that are making a comeback thanks to a new generation of craftsmen.
The exhibition was conceived as a journey on which viewers will be taken by the renowned curator, Federica Sala, and Zuza Paradowska from Paradowski Studio, responsible for the exhibition design, which will be a work of art in itself. Each of the ten rooms will be an original interpretation of one of the trends important for the development of Polish design and crafts. The exhibition can be visited between 6 and 13 April 2025 at Viale di Porta Vercellina 11 in Milan. After the Italian premiere, the exhibition will be presented in Warsaw.
Exhibition titled “Romantic Brutalism. A Journey into Polish Craft and Design”:
- Address: Viale di Porta Vercellina 11, Milan
- Duration: 6-13 April 2025
- Curator: Federica Sala
- Exhibition design: Zuza Paradowska / Paradowski Studio
- Contemporary artists: Jan Ankiersztajn, Anna Bera, Marek Bimer, Zofia Chylak, Monika Dąbrowska-Picewicz, Derive, Formsophy, Maciej Gąsienica-Giewont, The Good Living &Co, Kasia Harasym, Hasik Design, Marcin Kuberna, Kasia Kucharska, Mikołaj Moskal, Aleksander Oniszh, Agnieszka Owsiany, Monika Patuszyńska, Jakub Przyborowski, Marcin Rusak, Filomena Smoła, Splot Kilim, UAU Project, UNISM, Aleksandra Zawistowska
- Historical artists: Magdalena Abakanowicz, Krystyna Wojtyna Drouet, Zbigniew Horbowy, Jerzy Słuczan Orkusz, Jolanta Owidzka, Antoni Rząsa, Olgierd Szlekys, Henryk Albin Tomaszewski, Lubomir Tomaszewski, Władysław Wincze, Władysław Wołkowski, Irena Żmudzińska
- Organiser: Visteria Foundation
The exhibition was organised with the support of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
