An Interview with Gunia Nowik
TLmag spoke with Gunia Nowik about the gallery’s 3rd anniversary and its recent move to a former palace, as well as the upcoming fall art season in Warsaw, including the 14th edition of the Warsaw Gallery Weekend.
TLmag: You’ve just celebrated 3 years as a gallery, which included a move to a new space, a former palace in central Warsaw that has a rich history.
Gunia Nowik: Yes! We’ve just moved to a new space that carries a rich historical legacy. It’s an inner courtyard palace from the 19th century in the heart of Warsaw, actually on the same street that our previous space is on, so we stayed in the neighbourhood! The building was constructed in 1882, designed by the architect Bronisław Żochowski for the Belina-Brzozowski family. This neo-baroque Brzozowski palace draws inspiration from the Parisian palaces of the late 17th century and is set back from Bracka street. It was partially destroyed during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944 but was rebuilt after World War II. The romantic courtyard and facade of the palace dialogues in an interesting way with our black and white minimalistic interior. In front of the main door there is also a garden, which we are happy to maintain with the help of one of the artists from the gallery – Anna Orłowska, whose practice oscillates around the genealogy of places as well as garden layouts. There is also a historic lantern in front, which sculptor Hannah Sophie Dunkelberg turned into our Patronka – a lamp with sunrises and sunsets on the glass which protects GNG day and night. This palace also has a literary connection; it served as inspiration for Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz’s epic, Fame and Glory. The 3-volume novel intertwines real-life characters from Poland with fictional ones, including Princess Bilińska, who resides in this palace. Inspired by this connection, I read the first volume during this summer break, deepening my appreciation for the history and cultural significance of our new space.
TLmag: Why the move? What drew you to the space and how do you think it will compliment your artists and programming?
G.N.: We didn’t plan to move, as we really liked our old space, but it was probably meant to be! There was definitely something in the stars, maybe even too much at that very moment when we had to decide on it, as one of my colleagues elucidates: Mercury, travelling backwards and revisioning things, the tumultuous Spring eclipse season and all the strength of the almost Leo-only GNG team, suddenly supported by a Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius, a sign of expansion and optimism, that destiny made a very fast turn, and between the Venice Biennale and Gallery Weekend Berlin we signed our new contract. It happened suddenly, but of course growing and challenging yourself and the artists is very important, and I read the move like this. The new space is finally on the ground floor and it’s larger and higher than the previous one, making all of us think about exhibitions in a different way, and together with the garden, it gives us more opportunities. Renovating in 4 weeks and working on a new show was challenging, but we made it! And I must say I would have never made it without GNG’s amazing team, the support of the artists and all our great long-term collaborators! It was not even a construction site – it was an adventure we all believed in, and together we created a very unique place! At the same time, we learned that we were selected to be part of Art Basel Miami Beach for the very first time. These two big steps on our gallery path came together simultaneously, so there was a lot to celebrate around GNG’s birthday cake!
TLmag: As you look towards the next 3-5 years of the gallery – what are some of your goals or objectives?
G.N.: My primary goal is to establish a platform that positions artists at the centre, both nationally and internationally. We aim to create an environment that not only challenges and inspires them but also supports their unique vision. By focusing on their needs and aspirations, we want to help artists realize the projects they’ve always dreamed of, fostering a creative space where they can thrive and make their mark on the world – we work on it every year, so I expect in 3-5 years to have more and more international presence, and many exciting projects ahead!
TLmag: Could you walk us through the recent exhibition, Agritourism, which closed on September 14th, and was curated by Natalia Grabowska?
G.N.: It was an exhibition that dove deep into the complex relationship between nature, culture, and human intervention. Natalia Grabowska curated an array of works that speak to how we, as humans, interact with and manipulate our environment. For instance, Aga Beaupré and Ramona Güntert’s Farma project examines the consequences of human influence on domesticated species through a blend of video, photography, and sculpture. Margaret Raspé’s works, such as Kontinuum I and her Regenbilder series, explore the delicate dance between the natural and artificial, using unique methods like soundscapes based on planetary frequencies and rain-affected canvases. Scott Young and Ada Zielińska, in their distinct ways, question the life cycles of objects and the values we place on them – with Zielińska setting dandelions aflame to highlight the duality of beauty and destruction, while Young’s works examine our exploitative tendencies through imitative techniques. The exhibition title, Agritourism, is a nod to how we’ve turned our relationship with the planet into a kind of tourism, often at the expense of the very environment we depend on.
TLmag: Have you taken on more artists recently or is this something you see doing this year?
G.N.: As everything we do is based on close relationships, we treat the relations with artists as being lifelong, so we really take our time to get to know each other. But when I look back, we opened the gallery with 6 artists and today we represent 10, so the gallery is slowly growing. Every year we also invite curators to curate international shows in our space, which is a very important part of our program. This year we hosted Berlin-based artists (as you remember from our previous conversation I’m partly based there): Vanessa Disler, Hannah Sophie Dunkelberg, Vanessa Safavi and Ewa Partum accompanied by a text from Hendrike Nagel, and now we have the Agritourism show curated by Natalia Grabowska. Group exhibitions are actually a great start to get to know the artists and their practice better, and eventually to join our GNG family.
TLmag: What excites you most right now about contemporary Polish art?
G.N.: What excites me is that contemporary art in general is contemporary to our lives, witnessing or diagnosing our turbulent times. What is of course exciting in our work is that we are often part of the creation process, and we can support it. Nationality doesn’t matter – the majority of our represented artists are from Poland, but we also work with the Ukrainian painter Sana Shamuradova Tanska, as well as the German sculptor Hannah Sophie Dunkelberg and organize group shows with artists from abroad.
What are some upcoming events / exhibitions this fall at the gallery? What can we expect for Warsaw Gallery Weekend?
First, we started the new season with Hotel Warszawa Art Fair – which we co-founded 3 years ago with Justyna Wesołowska and Marika Zamojska from Polana Institute, Marta Kołakowska from Leto, and Amanda Likus from Likus Hotels & Restaurants group. It aims to inscribe itself in the history of international art fairs hosted in hotels, such as the Gramercy International Art Fair at the Gramercy Hotel in New York, or the Felix Art Fair at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. The third edition took place on between Friday, September 6 – Sunday, September 8th. In room 204, we showed works by Katarzyna Korzeniecka, Anna Orłowska and Scott Young, artists who are working across diverse media, creating a compelling dialogue that explores the unique interactions between their works and the dynamic space of the hotel.
As we approach the 14th edition of Warsaw Gallery Weekend (September 26-29), we’re honoured to continue being a part of this pivotal event on the art scene. However, what makes this year particularly special is how we’ve come full circle with Iza Tarasewicz. We’re thrilled to present Eternal Machine, her second solo exhibition with us. This moment holds deep significance as Iza was the artist who inaugurated our gallery in 2021 with the show Full Circle Ahead. Now, three years later, we truly find ourselves completing that circle. Eternal Machine promises to be a powerful exploration of the intersections between identity, technology, and environmental awareness. Tarasewicz pushes these themes further, blending natural and engineered elements like hand-dyed fibers and steel to create tactile, thought-provoking works. The exhibition addresses global issues, from rising individualism to the environmental impact of technology, urging viewers to reconsider our shared spaces and relationships in today’s fragmented world. This exhibition will be accompanied by performances of HUK; the work is a new adaptation of The Rumble performance, which was choreographed by Paweł Sakowicz for the Iza Tarasewicz exhibition The Rumble of a Tireless Land at Tramway Glasgow in 2022. It will be performed by Karolina Kraczkowska, Agnieszka Kryst, and Katarzyna Sikora, with sound by Gediminas Rimeika. During WGW, an installation by Iza Tarasewicz will also be on view at Common Arts Foundation in Warsaw, and Sana Shahmuradova Tanska’s painting will be shown in the frame of CRASH CLUB x U22, which coincides with the gallery weekend. In the meantime, we’re getting ready for our participation in Paris Internationale with Agata Bogacka and Hannah Sophie Dunkelberg and Art Basel Miami Beach with a solo presentation by Teresa Gierzyńska in the Survey sector!
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