Laznia Center for Contemporary Art
LAZNIA Centre for Contemporary Art was one of the first public cultural institutions established in Poland after the transformations of 1989. It began as an initiative by local independent artists opposed to traditional models of art. An old and dilapidated former public bathhouse in Lower Town district in Gdansk, Poland, turned out to be an ideal space for showing art. In response to a grassroots initiative by artists, in 1998 the Gdansk City Council designated it a municipal cultural institution. LAZNIA Centre for Contemporary Art is guided by its mission of showing and promoting contemporary art as a means of expressing universal values, and an element of world cultural heritage. The centre does so by showing the latest developments in contemporary art, showing the process of change that art is undergoing, engaging cultural and social phenomena taking place around the world, and educating the public about these issues. In LAZNIA CCA’s program there is space for promotion of young and independent art, as well as for cooperation with well-established ones, such as: Gerhard Richter, Gilbert&George, Stelarc, Damien Hirst.
In 2012, an affiliate in Nowy Port district of Gdansk was opened – LAZNIA 2 Centre for Contemporary Art, where, in addition to visiting exhibitions, visitors can take advantage of an art reading room, library, open animation studio, cinema, and attend a wide range of workshops. The process of adaptation of the building was a part of the revitalization of the Nowy Port district, and it is also located in renovated, former public bathhouse building.
The two institutions form an integrated space for artistic activities that extends from Lower Town to Nowy Port districts. Gdansk’s visual identity has been enhanced through art installations and eye-catching interventions involving Polish and foreign artists invited to cooperate with us. The activities of LAZNIA CCA are divided into main fields: Art in Public Space, Art & Science, International Exchange, Education. LAZNIA organizes exhibitions, residences, performances, public space interventions, workshops, conferences, lectures, concerts, film projections, educational activities and publishes books.