Crafting Reality: In Search of Alternative Habitats

The exhibition gathers over 60 objects created by 19 Polish artists. It presents craft as a living and flexible field of creativity. Alongside organic ceramic forms, hand-blown glass, and wood-turned items, visitors will see hand-woven panels, embroidered compositions, and contemporary interpretations of Polish folk papercuts. Raw materials and traditional crafts are accompanied by bold experiments with the production process and matter.

The exhibition's curator, Dr. Alicja Głuszek, points out that today, craft is both a way of doing and thinking that allows us to redefine our relationship with the non-human world. Polish creators integrate their practice into the discourse on alternative future scenarios, pointing to mindfulness, humility, and curiosity as key values in engaging with nature. The presented objects bring out the original beauty of organic materials, accepting the unpredictability and authenticity of matter.

The exhibition unfolds through three complementary themes:

• We are Earth: Resisting Anthropocentric Cataclysm – a section focused on sustainable design and working with natural raw materials such as stone, ceramics, wood, metal, and glass.
• We are Roots: Updating Tradition – a space dedicated to the masterful use of traditional techniques (weaving, embroidery, papercutting, wood carving) and translating cultural heritage into a contemporary visual language.
• We are Path: Designing Contemporaneity – a presentation of experimental approaches that extend and push the existing boundaries of craftsmanship.

The exhibition is accompanied by an extensive public program curated by Marisa Santamaria. It includes debates and masterclasses that expand on the exhibition’s core themes. The centrepiece of the accompanying events is the international panel discussion "Sensory Interconnection: CREATIVITY AND MATERIAL PATH", dedicated to material ecology, sensory connections in the creative process, and the future of design. The discussion will bring together experts and designers from Poland and Spain, including Agnieszka Bar, the Formsophy duo (Alicja Prussakowska and Jakub Kijowski), Clap Studio, Ana Illueca, and David Places.

In the autumn, following the presentation in Valencia, the exhibition will open in Madrid.

The exhibition features works by: Agata Marchlewicz, Agnieszka Bar, Agnieszka Mazur, Aleksander Oniszh, Aleksandra Zawistowska, Beata Momot, Beata Wietrzyńska / In Weave, Formsophy (Alicja Prussakowska i Jakub Kijowski), Huba Studio (Jakub Ciemachowski i Piotr Kołakowski), Jakub Przyborowski, Jan Ankiersztajn, Justyna Kosińska, Maciej Gąsienica Giewont, Monika Dąbrowska-Picewicz, Monika Patuszyńska, Olga Milczyńska, P55 MIRROR (Beata Ludwin i Łukasz Wołek), Studio REST (Dominika Gacka i Julia Piekarska), and Zofia Kusch.

Exhibition Curator: Alicja Głuszek

Public Program Curator: Marisa Santamaria

Date: September 12 – October 31, 2026

Venue: PASAJE 94 (Calle de los Trinitarios 13, Valencia)

Partners: Polish Institute in Madrid, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, European Craft Alliance (ECA), Nów. New Craft Poland

The project is co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage as part of the "Inspiring Culture 2025–2026" program.