Vernissage: The Art of Fiber

My painted textile art, "Cosmic Triptych", 300x300cm, 2024.

Photo Report from the Triennial Textile Exhibition: The Art of Fiber

Beautiful works, a beautiful exhibition—it’s definitely worth visiting and experiencing it in person!

I’m sharing the exhibition description below:

Triennial of the Textile Section “The Art of Fiber 2025”

Exhibition Curator: Joanna Lohn-Zając – Chair of the Textile Section of the Warsaw Branch of the Association of Polish Artists and Designers (OW ZPAP)

Galleries: DAP1, DAP2, and DAP3 at the House of the Visual Artist

Exhibition Dates: May 2 to June 1, 2025. Open from Tuesday-Sunday, 10-6:00 PM.

Opening Reception: Friday, May 9, 2025, at 6:00 PM.

“The Art of Fiber” is a recurring exhibition initiated in the year 2000 by Professor Stanisław Trzeszczkowski (d. 2016), founder and long-time Chair of the Textile Section at OW ZPAP. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Textile Section, as well as the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Branch of the Association of Polish Artists and Designers.

The Textile Section continues the legacy of the Experimental Workshop of Artistic Weaving, established in 1950 by artists Maria Łaszkiewicz, Helena Bukowska, Zofia Grmela, Zofia Kodis-Freyerowa, Janina Stankiewicz, and Janina Trawińska. Initially, the workshop was located in Maria Łaszkiewicz’s home in the Bielany district of Warsaw on Cegłowska Street. It was there that Magdalena Abakanowicz wove her first textiles. In 1965, the workshop was relocated to the 4th floor of the newly opened House of the Visual Artist at 11A Mazowiecka Street. This year marks 75 years since the workshop’s founding and 60 years at its current location on Mazowiecka Street.

It is important to remember that it was the artists of Warsaw who achieved international acclaim in the second half of the 20th century at the Lausanne Textile Biennales—such as Maria Teresa Chojnacka, Krystyna Wojtyna-Drouet, and Wojciech Sadley—whose works we can admire today at our exhibition alongside those of younger generations of artists, their students, and successors.

As the curator of the Textile Section Triennial “The Art of Fiber,” I would like to sincerely thank my colleagues from OW ZPAP who are participating in the exhibition. It is thanks to you that this extraordinary display came into being—one that intrigues with its themes, astonishes with its technical diversity, and provides space for reflection.

This year’s edition of “The Art of Fiber” is already the ninth presentation of the latest achievements in the field of artistic textiles. The exhibition showcases the work of sixty-six female and male artists. In their creations, they use not only classical weaving techniques but also their own original methods of interlacing—employing, for example, printing, patchwork, shibori, batik, embroidery, silk painting, felting, and knitting, ending with experiments at the intersection of various fine arts disciplines.

These artists are attempting to capture the spirit of the times in which they live and create. Some search for their own language of expression, while others refer to weaving traditions.

The exhibition once again enjoys the honorary patronage of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, which is also the sponsor of the awards in the 3rd Professor Stanisław Trzeszczkowski Competition, as well as a special award marking the 25th anniversary of the Textile Section at OW ZPAP.

It is encouraging to see that artistic textiles are once again gaining popularity among audiences, curators, and art critics, becoming the subject of books, publications, conferences, and debates. For us—artists—this recognition of our work is immensely important. It serves as both an impulse and an inspiration for continued creative work. Many of us are guided by the words of Jolanta Owidzka: “Textile is friendly to people. One must know how to talk with threads.” — Joanna Lohn-Zając, Chair of the Textile Section.