Dreams of Gdynia – a contemporary art festival

Dreams of Gdynia is the inaugural contemporary art festival organised by the Przypływ Foundation to mark the city’s centenary. This free summer event, running from 13 June to 27 September, will take place across 10 venues and feature works by nearly 40 invited artists.

The festival draws its inspiration from a utopian vision of the city from 1934, conceived by the entrepreneur and social activist Julian Rummel, which continues to capture the imagination to this day. It encourages reflection and discussion on what kind of future we want and how we are shaping it today. ‘Dreams of Gdynia’ comprises contemporary art exhibitions, educational activities andspecial events, including debates on the city’s future.

“Here, art becomes a space for experimentation – a place where one can test various scenarios, imagine what does not yet exist, and observe what is already changing. It does not provide ready-made answers, but opens up space for thought, doubt and conversation”– explains Agata Abramowicz, the festival’s curator and founder –“artists’ sensibilities act like a seismograph, detecting tensions, changes and subtle processes that shape the contemporary city.”

The artists invited to take part in the project will look to the future, proposing scenarios – possible and imagined, utopian and dystopian. We will see, for example,a generativeanimation by Sainera, paintings by Katarzyna Swinarska, pyrography by Zuzanna Dolega, and installations: light installations by Magdalena Pela, scent installations by Astrolabium, and immersive installations by Marcin Zawicki and Mariusz Waras. There will also be photographs by Kacper Kowalski and works by Paweł Bownik, on loan from the permanent art collection of the E. Wedel Chocolate Factory Museum. The exhibition will also feature contemporary reflections on history, the present, and the relationship between the city and the well-being of its residents, as well as the wider ecosystem.

“The unique character of Dreams of Gdynia lies, amongst other things, in the presentation of contemporary art across ten experimental spaces throughout the city. We are committed to democratising access to art, which is why, at the height of the summer holiday season, the former Bar Kaszubski and the historic foyer of the YMCA building will become pop-up galleries. We have managed to secure patrons and partners, thanks to whom admission to all exhibitions and the entire accompanying programme is free, ” says Monika Domańska from the Przypływ Foundation.

Thanks to a partnership with the city of Gdynia, from June to September visitors will be able to take part in free curated and family-friendly guided tours, exploratory walks – including those led by Professor Szymon Malinowski and the Climate Education Foundation – and the ‘City to Be Heard’ performance workshops . Other unusual attractions include: a night-time walk with Diana Lenart; coexistence workshops, which will result in a guide to encountering a wild boar; and the city game ‘Map of Little Pleasures’, created in collaboration with Wedel, the festival’s patron. These activities celebrate time spent together, bringing people together around shared passions and important ideas, whilst addressing the need for closeness and combating loneliness.

You simply mustn’t miss it in Gdynia this summer! The opening takes place on 13 June from 7.00 pm to 10.00 pm in the foyer of the YMCA building at 26 Żeromskiego Street.

Photo: Ola Mac