What a year! Thank you for the dozens of events you created together with Polish Institute Brussels! These were artistic, musical, theatrical, literary and scientific events. During this year, many concerts, exhibitions, lectures and meetings took place which would not have been possible without your presence and support. We would like to remind you of a few of them…
Light installation by Katarzyna Tretyn at Bright Festival
The beginning of the year was brightened by Katarzyna Tretyn, who represented the Polish contemporary art scene for the first time at the Bright Festival with a light installation “Astrolabium” – a unique work inspired by the outer space. It was located on the route of the Cinquantenaire park, inside the Pavillon Horta-Lambeaux, also known as the Temple of Human Passions, especially opened to the public on this occasion. The event in the heart of the European capital was particularly special for Poland, due to the 20th anniversary of its EU accession celebrated this year.
Polish Day in Brussels: Writers’ corner & Polish language workshops
We had a great time during the Polish Days in Brussels in May! This year, we focused on the Polish language and literature. We explored the beauty of this complex and challenging language, with its unique rustling sounds and unusual consonant clusters that often puzzle non-native speakers. Available, there were Language Workshops for Foreigners, Writers’ Corner, a photobooth and Poland in the EU – 20th Anniversary Guestbook.
A quote from Wislawa Szymborska lit up libraries
This passing year, we illuminated the libraries in Jette and Woluwe-Saint-Pierre with a quote from Wisława Szymborska in Dutch. The neon signs with the quote “Nothing Happens Twice” were funded and brought to life by the Polish Institute Brussels to honor the Polish Nobel Prize winner on her 100th birthday in 2023. Wisława Szymborska (1923-2012), Polish poet, translator and literary critic, was the winner of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Exhibition: Forgotten Heroes
This year, we commemorated the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Flanders, in which Polish 1st Armoured Division under the command of General Stanisław Maczek played a crucial role. On this occasion, Polish Institute Brussels in cooperation with the Embassy of Republic of Poland in Belgium prepared the exhibition Forgotten Heroes of the 1st Polish Armoured Division liberated Flemish cities from German occupation in 1944.
The exhibition was shown in the very center of Antwerp – at Antwerp City Hall.
Polish Comics Artists at BD Comic Strip Festival in Brussels
In September, we celebrated Polish Comics at BD Comic Strip Festival 2024! This year, we were pleased to host two outstanding Polish artists, Berenika Kołomycka and Joanna Karpowicz. Throughout the three-day event, the artists engaged with visitors through a variety of activities like comic strips workshop for children, live drawing sessions featuring both artists, showcasing their skills, exhibition of original and previously unpublished illustrations by the artists, including large-format prints and life-sized characters from their comics and autograph sessions and opportunities for direct interaction with Berenika and Joanna.
Exhibition: Agnieszka Polska – Flowers on the Sun @ M HKA Antwerp
The M HKA in Antwerp and Polish Institute Brussels presented the first solo exhibition by Polish artist Agnieszka Polska in Belgium, Flowers on the Sun. It featured a selection of recent works, including her latest film The Book of Flowers (2023), created using artificial intelligence-based tools. The artist initially used time-lapse animations of flowers from the 1950s, which were then transformed into images generated by artificial intelligence.
You can still see the exhibition until January 15, 2025 at M HKA Antwerp.
EUNIC: Transpoesie – Surrealism
This year we also collaborated with EUNIC Brussels. A particularly important event was the TRANSPOESIE festival, which celebrated poetry and linguistic diversity across Europe, on this particular occasion marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of surrealism. The festival featured many events that brought poetry into your life, such as poetry readings, lunchtime debates, performances and automatic writing sessions. This year, Polish poet Małgorzata Lebda joined the festival at the invitation of the Polish Institute Brussels. Małgorzata Lebda, nominated this year for the prestigious Nike Literary Award, seamlessly blends poetry with prose, art with physical movement, and the human world with the animal kingdom.
Philharmonic and choir of the National Forum of Music at the Tomorrow Will Be Too Late festival in DE SINGEL, Antwerp
In November, we listened to Polish musicians from the National Forum of Music / Narodowe Forum Muzyki, the Philharmonic Orchestra, the choir and the LutosAir Quintet. At De Singel in Antwerp, the musicians performed the award-winning “Become” trilogy by John Luther Adams, along with concerts highlighting the works of contemporary Polish composers.
Luxembourg
The Polish Institute Brussels is also active in Luxembourg! This year there were many interesting events including concerts, film festivals or exhibitions. Among others, we were persent at the CinEast Film Festival, where we watched Processes and Intercepted, Belorussian and Ukrainian productions bringing into focus the situation in those countries, and then listened to a concert by the Polish music band Neoklez. And at the MUDAM-Museum of Modern Art Grand-Duc Jean,an exhibition by Agnieszka Kurant – RISK LANDSCAPE, took place.
‘Elisabeth Costello. Seven Lectures and Five Moral Tales’ by Krzysztof Warlikowski at the Théâtre de Liège + meeting with the director
We ended the year at Krzysztof Warlikowski’s new performance ‘Elisabeth Costello. Seven Lectures and Five Moral Tales’, which was shown 3 times at the Théâtre de Liège, and one of them was preceded by a meeting with the director.
Thank you for another fantastic year! We look forward with excitement to the coming year during which we will celebrate the Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union. We hope to see you at our events!
