EXHIBITION: ARSENAL 60! ON COLLECTING, COLLECTION AND THE LOVE OF ARSENAL

OPENING: 11/04/2025, 18.00

Curators: Lena Prents, Tatiana Kochubinska

Artists: Paweł Althamer, Karolina Bielawska, Tymek Borowski, Rafał Bujnowski, Vesna Bukovec, Hubert Czerepok, Aleksandra Czerniawska, Oskar Dawicki, Jakub Gliński, Zofia Gramz, Ryszard Grzyb, Elżbieta Jabłońska, Zhanna Kadyrova, Bartłomiej Kiełbowicz, Aleksander Komarov, Anna Konik, Maciej Kurak, Robert Kuśmirowski, Volodymyr Kuznetsov, Dominik Lejman, Diana Lelonek, Norman Leto, Marcin Maciejowski, Angelika Markul, Magisters (Hubert Czerepok, Zbigniew Rogalski), Malgorzata Markiewicz, Paweł Matyszewski, Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Deimantas Narkevičius, Laura Pawela, Dan Perjovschi, Agnieszka Polska, R.E.P. (Kseniya Hnylytska, Nikita Kadan, Zhanna Kadyrova, Lesia Khomenko, Volodymyr Kuznetsov, Lada Nakonechna), Karol Radziszewski, Józef Robakowski, Mikołaj Smoczyński, Konrad Smoleński, Mikołaj Sobczak, Irmina Staś, Leon Tarasewicz, Agnieszka Tarasiuk, Slaven Tolj, Julita Wójcik.

Exhibition design: Uladzimir Hramovich

The Arsenal Gallery in Białystok is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Collection II is younger – it has been developing since 1991 but over the years, it has grown into one of the largest collections of Polish and East European art. We asked ourselves: what role does the Arsenal Gallery and its collection play in the city and in the lives of its residents? And we asked the residents themselves. The result is a presentation shaped by the suggestions and visions of the audience. The exhibition has expanded beyond the walls of the gallery and into the urban landscape, closer to people, to their workplaces, places of leisure, and private lives. The selected works speak of closeness, memory, and values that are essential not only to a dignified human life but also to the Gallery’s philosophy of collecting. Today, we are witnessing renewed attempts to redraw national borders on the world map. We live in an era marked by new wars and conflicts, with an increasing sense of looming planetary catastrophe. What helps us endure and regain strength in such times are social bonds, connections with like-minded people, compassionate support, solidarity, and love. Art becomes a space that brings us together and offers hope. “On Collecting, Collection and the Love of Arsenal” is an exhibition about our favorite institution, but also about ourselves. Let us celebrate the Arsenal Gallery’s birthday, and its collection, just as we would celebrate the birthday of someone we love.

My Arsenal! Everyone’s Arsenal!

Artworks in public space will be presented from 5.05.2025 till 7.09.2025

Further information: https://galeriaarsenal.pl/en/exhibition/arsenal-60-on-collecting-collections-and-the-love-of-arsenal/