City Break: Kraków
- C-print
- Jun 2
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 3
This spring a lot has pointed towards Poland in the local art scene in Stockholm. I co-penned a text highlighting three Polish contemporary painters who were all exhibiting at galleries around Stockholm earlier this spring. Coulisse Gallery, co-run by a Pole, Filip Zięciak, keeps affirming its position on the gallery scene, not only locally but also internationally, bringing several emerging Polish-born artists including Rafał Zajko, Linda Lach and Julia Kowalska to Stockholm. Also, Monika Sosnowska just inaugurated a monumental work Museum on the royal island of Djurgården as this year’s invited artist by Princess Estelle Cultural Foundation.
Ed’s note: While publishing this text, rightwing candidate Karol Nawrocki emerged as the winner of the Polish presidential election 2025 for which the pre-buzz was a very tight race against Rafał Trzaskowski (the former scored 50.89% of the votes vs 49.11% for the latter). This will most likely mean a new severe backlash for the arts and the LGBTQI+ community. A prominent artist on social media wrote: “I won’t pretend that there is still hope for Poland” and “Again and again this country is cursed” was an influential curator’s reaction. Very, very sad. But knowing the Poles, they will rise again.
Since entering the EU in 2004, with a steady GDP growth, and given its geographic location in Europe, Poland has emerged as a European powerhouse. At an insightful panel talk at Market Art Fair the other week presented in collaboration with IASPIS, the four invited curators representing some of the most influential institutions in Poland, concluded that the art scene is entering a new chapter after some turbulent years with a far-right anti-art government. Warsaw, the Polish capital, had the entire art world’s gaze fixed (FOMO was real) last year with the re-opening of MSN Warsaw, the Museum of Modern Art, in the heart of the city. With the recent Nada Villa Warsaw, the second edition, which saw a roster of international participants including said Coulisse Gallery, and the 15th edition of Warsaw Gallery Weekend around the corner which we’ll be attending, Poland continues to cement its position on the international art scene. Ahead of our trip to Warsaw in September, marking a return to the city after our first visit back in 2015 as invited guests by the Polish Institute Stockholm (thank you, dear Kasia Syty), we hopped on a flight to Kraków in the south, for an extended long weekend to kickstart summer. A city where history is rich and omnipresent, where foodies can remain well-fed and art aficionados can find inspiration by just wandering around.
Just moments after landing, we went straight for MOCAK (Lipowa 4), a modern building, located on the other side of the river Wisła from the city centre. Insertion: while the city offers several means of public transportation, the city is quite flat and very walkable. At the entrance, an installation titled Satisfaction Guaranteed, a soda vending machine by Joanna Rajkowska, had me fooled. “It’s an artwork”, my partner pointed out upon being asked if thirsty. A note to everyone: invest in the International Council of Museums’ annual membership card which for less than hundred euros grants free admission to thousands of museums across the world. Perfect for travelers. Worked like a charm in Kraków.
At the time of our visit, the museum was on with several exhibitions including Nostalgia: Seekers of Fading Stars, a temporary group exhibition (runs until 14.09.2025) with 22 artists connected to the city in various ways. The inclusion of three paintings by painter Paulina Stasik who we recently exhibited at Belenius had us beaming with pride. Paulina, in the midst of relocating to a new studio outside the city, is currently working on a new body of work for an institutional solo show at BWA Tarnów later in the year. We caught some glimpses in the studio. It's going to be epic. Another highlight in Nostalgia is local superstar Łukasz Stokłosa whose ongoing exhibition Elegia (runs until 29.06.2025) at the Wawel Castle overlooking the city we were lucky to squeeze in as well. While Stokłosa's haunting paintings at the castle merge almost too seamlessly with the opulent interiors and treasures, his Carrington series (80’s TV sensation Dynasty) both by way of portraiture painting and video is a refreshing element in the show.
Some words on the commercial gallery scene: vastly different from the bustling scene in Warsaw. While the latter has a very solid scene with international powerhouses such as Raster Gallery and Foksal Gallery Foundation (together representing leading Polish artists such as Paweł Althamer, Karolina Jablonska, Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Monika Sosnowska among many others), Kraków offers just a handful of spaces although being home to Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts, the oldest fine art academy in the country. We did get around to visit two by recommendation; Shefter Gallery (Jabłonowskich 6) and artist-run Galeria Piana (Długa 15), open only a couple of hours on Fridays and Saturdays or by appointment.
Run by a Pole residing in the U.S, Shefter Gallery is a basement space conveniently located just a stone’s throw away from Uniwersytet Jagielloński, one of the oldest universities in Europe. We were very lucky to get a very generous tour (thank you Ada, Bogusław and Arkadiusz) of a solo show with local artist Bogusław Bachorczyk curated by Arkadiusz Półtorak. Titled Vlach (loosely translates into “stranger”), the show which just ended its run marked a homecoming for the artist, predominantly presenting wooden assemblages in various dimensions based on discarded furniture and material from his hometown.
A short walk away, Galeria Piana, co-run by artists Michał Zawada, Michał Sroka and Filip Rybkowski, all graduates of the fine art academy, is on view with a show with Austrian artist Beate Gatschelhofer. For Call Me Inherently Fragile (runs until 15.06.2025) , they present a new ceramics-based body of work made during a residency in the city earlier this year. With unusual combinations of materials and subtle playful elements, it’s a show that takes on the character of a very accomplished institutional show in perfect dialogue with the space that we are told have been subjected to a total makeover. A very inspiring visit altogether.
Another space to swing by, located inside a lush park, is Bunkier Sztuki (Plac Szczepański 3a), one of the few modern architectural landmarks in the city presenting a diverse contemporary arts programme across multiple levels. Good karma: Our visit to the city also just happened to coincide with 65th edition of Kraków Film Festival (our apartment was just opposite the main festival site) where a screening of Lebanese-born visual artist Omar Mismar’s first feature A Frown Gone Mad (2025) was a homerun. Also, a just few words on the cuisine. The city has a lot more to offer than just delicious pierogis (adore!). A drink inside a former synagogue? Check. Ultra-hip cafes? Check, check.
Some of our favorites places below:
For breakfast: Café Manggha (M. Konopnickiej 26) - a scrumptious Japanese-inspired breakfast menu with a stellar view of the Wawel Castle.
For brunch: Ósma Ranu (Podwale 4) - we came for the Turkish eggs, stayed for the people.
For traditional cusine: Kluska na Placu (Plac Szczepański 7) - for traditional Polish cuisine with a twist and impeccable service.
For coffee: Megiddo Café (Kupa 14) – housed inside a former synagogue with a nice courtyard for sipping on fancy matcha coffee.
For drinks: HEVRE (Plac Szczepański 7) – also in a former synagogue (what do you know?) in the Jewish quartier of Kazmierz.
