Poland’s key role at the upcoming Valencia Design Festival and its partnership with our Institute were announced at an official press conference in Spain. We invite you today to the ‘Crafting Reality’ exhibition and the accompanying programme, which presents craftsmanship as a tool for cultural change.
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Poland to be the guest country at the Valencia Design Fest
Poland is a guest country at Valencia Design Fest
This year, Poland will be the guest country at the Valencia Design Festival. Through the exhibition “Crafting Reality: En Busca de Hábitats Alternativos”, presented as part of the Tiempo + Materia programme, curator Alicja Głuszek showcases the distinctive profile of Poland’s contemporary craft scene, defined by experimentation, tradition and new ways of imagining our relationships with the non-human world.
The exhibition ‘Crafting Reality: En Busca de Hábitats Alternativos’ treats craft not merely as a form of production, but as a way of understanding nature and establishing a relationship with it. Through ceramics, glass, textiles, wood, metal, paper and embroidery, the exhibition explores the connection between material, knowledge and contemporary life. In an era marked by ecological uncertainty, rapid technological change and social fragmentation, the artists taking part in the exhibition present alternative perspectives based on material awareness and imagination, care and direct engagement with the natural environment.
IPK Programme
The exhibition and its accompanying programme, which will be presented in Spain – a country with a rich tradition of artistic craftsmanship – establish a dialogue between Polish and Spanish craft traditions, whilst addressing shared cultural and environmental challenges.
One of the highlights of the programme is the expert panel discussion ‘Sensory Interconnection: CREATIVITY AND MATERIAL PATH’, featuring artists and experts from Poland and Spain.
The exhibition will feature works by: Agata Marchlewicz, Aleksandra Zawistowska, Agnieszka Bar, Agnieszka Mazur, Aleksandra Oniszha, Beata Momot, Beata Wietrzyńska, Formsophy, Huba Studio, Jakub Przyborowski, Jan Ankiersztajn, Justyna Kosińska, Maciej Gąsienica Giewont, Monika Dąbrowska-Picewicz, Monika Patuszyńska, Olga Milczyńska, P55 MIRRORS, REST Studio and Zofia Kusch
Organisational information
- Exhibition duration: 12 September – 30 October 2026
- Venue: PASAJE 94, Valencia, Spain
- Exhibition curator: Alicja Głuszek
- Curator of the accompanying programme: Marisa Santamaria
Partners and Funding: This Creative Industries Institute project is launched in partnership with the Polish Institute in Madrid and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute. The exhibition is held under the patronage of the European Craft Alliance and Nów. Nowe Rzemiosło. The project has been co-funded by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage as part of the ‘Inspiring Culture’ programme.