Summer hasn’t even officially started yet, but the weather outsidemakes as think otherwise. We don’t have any holidays planned for upcoming months so we make the most of what we can get in Warsaw. And there’s a lot! We spend most days chilling in sunbeds and hammocks in our favourite summer spots, but from time to time we just need a bit of… culture. And air conditioning. So in this blog post we present you a list of current exhibitions, cultural events and museums that we either recently visited or are planning on doing so this summer.
I was writing yet another alternative guide to one of the European cities I recently visited (Berlin and Budapest ones are already published, so be sure to check them out!), when it suddenly dawned on me that I don’t really treat Warsaw like I would any other city. There are dozens of great museums, art galleries, movie festivals and alternative concerts happeing all the time and I just don’t go to them. My excuse is always the same – “I’ll do that later”. Well, enough of that! This blog post is all about the things you have to do right now as they are temporary and they’ll end sooner than you think. And they’re seriously worth your time!
Fangor: Beyond the visual plane
The first thing I’d like to reccommend to you is an art exhibition of a famous polish painter Wojciech Fangor. Go see it as soon as you finish reading this blog post as i There are 20 paintings showcased and there’s a guide talking you through all of them so you don’t have to worry that you don’t know anything about the guy. I have to admit that when it comes to art my knowledge is pitiful. Still I enjoy most of the exhibitions and always manage to find some inspiration. What makes this particular exhibition so special? Well, it’s shown on the 42nd floor of a scyscraper so the background for the paintings is a marvelous panorama of Warsaw. The space is open on weekends only and there are specific hours of tours (each lasts 30 minutes, you can check the timetable on Facebook), quite a few people is interested in the exhibition so be sure to plan your day well as you may have to spend some time in a queue. Still, worth it!
Where: Cosmopolitan, ul. Twarda 4, Warsaw
Until when: 1st of July 2018
How much: free of charge
Otwarta Pracownia Jazdów
Do you know about magical Finnish houses hidden in the middle of Warsaw? If not you definitely need to change that and go to Jazdów right away. It’s a settlement of wooden houses where something cool is happening at all times. There are various exhibitions, concerts, workshops and open-air movie screenings, there are communal gardens, there are even bees! I’ve been there before for concerts, but I’ve never actually been inside any of the houses. This time I visited Otwarta Pracownia Jazdów because I’ve read about an art exhibition called Trzupkizm that was shown there. The exhibition has now ended, but there’s still plenty of things happening there, so be sure to check out the events on their Facebook page. I’ve already spotted some concerts I’m interested in. Hope to see you there!
Where: ul. Jazdow 3/6, Warsaw
Until when: the exhibition we went to see has now ended, but there’s plenty of things to do there, and I’m sure another ar show is on it’s way
How much: pay what you will
“We are all photographers” – Open-air documentary screenings
We enjoy spending wednesday evenings right next to the Palace of Culture and Science. There are interesting documentaries shown there concerning photography. Which is fitting since we’ve done our photography course right there, in the building 😉 So far we’ve seen an interesting film about photographers from Afghanistan and another one aboutOstkreuz – a group of photographers from Berlin. The next screening will be on 4th of July and a french production “Visages, Villages”, which was nominated for Oscar this year, will be shown. I’ve already seen this one but I still plan on coming since it’s really nice to spend an evening with other people interested in the subject of photography. Plus the sponsor of the event is Wedel, so you can expect some chocolate goods being passed around.
Where: Plac Defilad, right next to Studio Theater, Warsaw
Until when: there are two more screenings planned, one on 4th of July and another on 11th of July, both at 9.30 p.m.
How much: for free
Beksiński – In hoc signo vinces
Another great polish artist whose works you can currently see in Warsaw is Zdzisław Beksiński. There are 20 moody and creepy paintings, some photos, which for me were especially inspirational, and drawings shown in Warsaw Archdiocese Museum, located in the Old Town. The place made appear unusual, but there were already two exhibitions of Beksiński’s art in the past. This one’s the third. We went on sunday morning and there was quite a queue, so if you can just go during the week. Or book tickets online. The exhibition ends on 30th of September so you have an entire summer to plan your visit.
Where: Warsaw Archdiocese Museum, ul. Dziekania 1, Warsaw
Until when: 30th of September 2018
How much: 20 złoty for a normal ticket, 15 złoty for a discounted one (students, kids)
Brzask at Królikarnia
Our cultural goal for this year is to finally make it to Królikarnia for one of the concerts that are part of a series of events called W Brzask (Dawn). We wanted to do it for a year now, but we don’t have a strong enough will to get down to Królikarnia for a concert that starts at 4 in the morning. This year we’re not going to miss out. We made plans for a night of activities, food and not too much drinking so that we can stay alive until dawn. The first W Brzask concert this year is going to happen on the 34th of June but there will be more of them happening until the end of summer. For more information be sure to check out their Facebook page.
Where: Królikarnia, ul. Puławska 113a, Warsaw
Until when: there aren’t all events added to the calendar yet, so be sure to check out Królikarnia’s Facebook Page
How much: for free
Free Thursdays at Center of Contemporary Art and Zachęta National Gallery of Art
We like our art free of charge. That’s why we tend to visit museums and art galleries on thursdays when in majority of them the admission is free. Our two favourite ones, that we try to visit as regularly as work lets us, are Center of Contemporary Art at Ujazdowski Castle and Zachęta National Gallery of Art. We haven’t been to neither in quite some time, but I heard lots of good things about the exhibitions that are on show in Center of Contemporary Art right now. I might even be able to go there this thursday (so the day this blog post is published). I’ll be sure to share some photos with you over on our Instagram.
Gdzie: Center of Contemporary Art at Ujazdowski Castle, ul Jazdów 2 & Zachęta National Gallery of Art, Plac Małachowskiego 3, Warsaw
Until when: there are several different exhibitions on right now and they end on different days so we suggest just coming from time to time
How much: free entrance on thursdays
