As Guest Country of Honour at València Design Fest 2026, Poland presents Crafting Reality: In Search of Alternative Habitats, an exhibition that seeks to redesign our connection with the world and imagine new ways of inhabiting it. Presented as part of the Time + Matter program, the exhibition invites visitors to view cutting-edge Polish craft as an aesthetic and conceptual response to ecological uncertainty, technological acceleration, and present-day challenges.
The exhibition unfolds across three interconnected chapters. We Are Earth: Resisting Anthropocentric Cataclysm focuses on ethically sourced materials and sustainable practices. We Are Roots: Updating Tradition explores how artists and designers revive ancestral knowledge, including weaving and woodworking, and transform it into a living contemporary practice. We Are Path: Designing Contemporaneity turns towards experimentation, highlighting processes that test the physical boundaries of craft.
Curated by Dr Alicja Głuszek, Crafting Reality, the exhibition features the work of 19 leading figures from the Polish scene: Jan Ankiersztajn, Agnieszka Bar, Monika Dąbrowska Picewicz, Formsophy, Maciej Gąsienica Giewont, Huba Studio, Justyna Kosińska, Zofia Kusch, Agata Marchlewicz, Agnieszka Mazur, Olga Milczyńska, Beata Momot, Aleksander Oniszh, Monika Patuszyńska, Jakub Przyborowski, P55 Mirror, Studio REST, Beata Wietrzyńska / In Weave, and Aleksandra Zawistowska.
A public programme curated by Marisa Santamaría will accompany the exhibition, creating opportunities for exchange between Polish and Spanish designers through discussions and masterclasses. Confirmed participants include Agnieszka Bar, Formsophy, Clap Studio, Ana Illueca and David Places.
Following its presentation in Valencia, the exhibition will travel to Madrid later in 2026.
The project is organised by Poland’s Creative Industries Institute in collaboration with the Polish Cultural Institute in Madrid. It is co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland through the Inspiring Culture 2025–2026 programme.
Crafting Reality: In Search of Alternative Habitats
12 September–31 October 2026
Pasaje 94, Calle de los Trinitarios 13, Valencia
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Agata Marchelwicz. Photo by Matylda Polak -
Agnieszka Bar, Pestki, Craftng Reality. Photo by Matylda Polak -
Agnieszka Mazur, Virgin White, Crafting Reality. Photo by Matylda Polak -
Jakub Przyborowski, Podwójna ława mahoniowa, 2023. Photo Tomo Yarmush -
Maciej Gąsienica, Giewont, Obiekty drewniane, Crafting Reality. Photo by Matylda Polak -
Monika Dąbrowska-Picewicz, Stany skupienia, 2026. Photo by Marta Piskorek -
Zofia Kusch, GARDINE.
