The WINDOW Project

The WINDOW consists of 15 exhibitions displaying works by 15 young artists in cities throughout the country.
Together with the finalists of the 19^th edition of the Hestia’s Artistic Journey competition, we establish an artistic dialogue with local communities. The results of our cooperation may be discovered intentionally or by accident – they will be available to each and every passer-by in several cities of Poland.

In cooperation with the employees of our patron, STU ERGO Hestia, we have chosen some small local enterprises located in cities all over Poland whose windows will be transformed into artistic spaces for two weeks. It is in them that the finalists of the Hestia’s Artistic Journey competition present their projects specifically designed for a given place. Moreover, it was assumed that the spaces indented to present the exhibitions were to be unobvious, they were to go beyond the walls of cultural institutions and usually have nothing to do with contemporary art at all. Therefore, the locations have been selected by the employees of local ERGO Hestia branches – persons emotionally connected to a given city or region, who indicated points on the map that were important for them and their communities. As a result, they chose shops or businesses the economic situation of which has deteriorated due to the pandemic, especially since one of the project’s objectives is to provide support for small, local entrepreneurs, both financial and promotional, through their involvement in artistic activities. It is, after all, the social aspect a particular emphasis has been put on as part of this very project. Thanks to the artistic arrangement of the businesses and shops’ windows, local communities will have an opportunity to broaden their perspectives, they will be able to experience contemporary art, which is oftentimes associated with an elite and hermetic environment. The series of exhibitions and the activities undertaken around them resulted in experiences being shared between the young artists, themselves being students only entering the art market, and people coming from significantly different backgrounds.

The project oscillates around the theme of a community of experience – during the time of the pandemic and the resulting economic crisis, all of us, regardless of the profession pursued, must face numerous challenges and difficulties. As part of the WINDOW project, we prove that contemporary art may open up a dialogue with environments seemingly distant from it, and that the virtual space is not to be seen as the only alternative to culture during the pandemic.

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ARTISTS: Natalia Galasińska, Veronika Hapchenko, Maja Janczar, Agata Jarosławiec, Adam Kozicki, Anna Kwiatkowska, Małgorzata Mycek, Michał Myszkowski, Grażyna Monika Olszewska, Karolina Pawelczyk, Anna Rutkowska, Ewelina Węgiel, Jan Eustachy Wolski, Bożna Wydrowska, Katarzyna Wyszkowska.

LOCATIONS:
Szczecin: Grażyna Monika Olszewska, D.O.D System, ul. Modra 24
Gdynia: Anna Kwiatkowska, Black & White Coffee, ul. Władysława IV 28
Sopot: Adam Kozicki, “Ambelucja” Bookstore, ul. 3 Maja 9
Toruń: Natalia Galasińska, “Susan Hooward” Wedding Fashion House, ul. Szewska 13
Białystok: Anna Rutkowska, “Świat Okularów” Optician Services, ul. Lipowa 26
Poznań: Małgorzata Mycek, “BeautyMed” Beauty Salon, ul. Mickiewicza 15
Kalisz: Maja Janczar, “Zakład Optyki Okularowej” Optician Services, ul. Piekarska 2
Łódź: Karolina Pawelczyk, Agata Wojtkiewicz’s Wedding Dress Atelier, ul. Piotrkowska 34
Żyrardów: Bożna Wydrowska, “Lektura” Bookstore, ul. Okrzei 11
Lublin: Michał Myszkowski, Heca Café, ul. Hipoteczna 5
Tarnów: Jan Eustachy Wolski, Bikebrothers – bicycle shop and services, ul. Przemysłowa 4F
Tarnów: Agata Jarosławiec, “Przepis” Bistro, Pl. Kazimierza Wielkiego 3
Rzeszów: Katarzyna Wyszkowska, “Tarsa” Optician Services, ul. Dąbrowskiego 31
Częstochowa: Ewelina Węgiel, “Jędryka” Bakery, ul. Focha 53
Wrocław: Veronika Hapchenko, “Janusz” Photo Studio, ul. Henryka Pobożnego 4

  CURATORS TEAM: Maja Wolniewska, Anna Palacz-Brzezińska

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The project is organised by the Hestia Artistic Journey Foundation and ERGO Hestia, in cooperation with business partners. Partners: J. Tarasin Art Gallery in Kalisz, BWA Tarnów, Biała Gallery in Lublin