The "Wena" Gallery

 

The exhibition, curated by the artists and teachers of the State High School of Visual Arts in Bydgoszcz: Joanna Czołgosz and Sebastian Tucholski, juxtaposes the material outcomes of two educational and artistic projects carried out by the students of the Bydgoszcz visual arts school in 2023-2025, awarded in the 5th and 7th editions of the WENA Grant Program Competition of the Starak Family Foundation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The projects are completely different from each other, touching on entirely different topics. However, the youth found common elements such as senses, experiencing, and creating. The participants were introduced to the ideas of both projects, and then they created paintings intended to serve as a combination of the two. That’s all – just that and so much more. There was no imposition of style, format, or technique. Analysis, idea, and execution. Everyone did it in a different way that was right for them. Some worked outdoors from direct observation of nature, while others chose to work in the studio based on a photo or a design.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The awareness of creating art for the needs of such an event causes various emotions to arise in the participants – often extreme. The opportunity to showcase their work can evoke both joy and frustration. Numerous memories related to participation in projects as well as situations that happened during that time emerge. All of this influences the expression of the works. The choice of formats, compositions, themes, and colors does not always have to be conscious, but it is certainly not accidental.

The project "Images of Consciousness – Inventory from Nature" assumed direct involvement in the project by the teacher – the author of the project, who did not take on a separate role as a mentor but was simply another participant in the project. For this reason, teachers Alina Sitkowska, who played a very valuable role during painting workshops, and Joanna Czołgosz, the author of the project "Feel the Art of the City," were also invited to create works for the exhibition at the "Wena" Gallery.

 

 

 

 

Joanna Czołgosz along with her work

 

 

 

FEEL THE ART OF THE CITY

 

The art of the city is a diversity of stimuli perceived by the senses on different levels. Art, culture, city, society are mutually complementary spheres. In the context of the artistic needs of the audience, it still happens that individual artistic needs are forgotten. What is the art of people with disabilities? How do we feel art and perceive creativity when senses are turned off due to conscious actions or biological limitations? What is the art today that defines the audience as an educated and learned critic of contemporary interpretations of beauty?

 

The project “Feel the Art of the City” has an educational and social character. Through artistic interpretation, it will allow blind and visually impaired people to take a sensory walk through the Old Town in Bydgoszcz and get to know the volume, structure, and texture of exceptional architectural objects. Project participants worked within selected buildings located in the urban space, which serve as the city's showcase.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Based on the collected research material, they visualized a normative spatial-sensory image with graphic information about a specific building and its model printed on a 3D printer. The graphics are a combination of new artistic techniques such as 3D printing, digital graphics, and traditional techniques: drypoint and screen printing. The resulting functional form will complement the 3D topographic map, a model of the visual city constructed on the semantics of the senses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMAGES OF CONSCIOUSNESS – FROM NATURE

 

The project aimed to combine creative work outdoors with mental health prevention. During the course of the project, several painting workshops of varying durations were organized in different parts of the region. Throughout these workshops, in addition to creative work, students participated in mindfulness training under the supervision of educator Alina Sitkowska, preceded by yoga sessions conducted by the instructor Sebastian Tucholski.

Outside of the outdoor workshops, a series of meetings was held led by dr Joanna Bitner-Szulc, during which project participants learned methods of coping with stress. Painting can be an excellent form of meditation. Focusing on the creative process itself allows one to calm down and provides an opportunity to organize one's thoughts. The scents present in the open air and the natural sounds of the surroundings help to relax, and consequently – to notice more, to experience with the senses, to gather new memories associated with the places around us. The physicality of experiences – the challenging conditions in the field create circumstances for cooperation, promote integration, and build bonds. The project “Images of Consciousness – Drawing from Nature” is essentially a mindfulness training spread over many months. Project participants were asked to make multiple attempts to recognize and name their emotions.

 

 

 

 

 

The youth of the Bydgoszcz art school actively participated in the work on the exhibition concept and its installation.

 

 

 

Sebastian Tucholski during the exhibition setup

 

 

 

The exhibition presents 60 objects: paintings, graphics, and spatial forms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The exhibition is presented from April 30 to June 8, 2026. Admission is free. WENA Gallery of the Starak Family Foundation, 8 Bobrowiecka Street in Warsaw.