OBJEKT: first gallery of collectible design in Poland opened

·11 October 2024

Nearly six metres high, with a shop window on the side of Kopernika Street, a red floor, an arch made of luxuriers and a steel screen closing off the viewer’s perspective – a new gallery has appeared in the city centre: OBJEKT. It will be a place for the presentation of collectible design, which co-founder Aleksandra Krasny points out as a phenomenon that tells a fresh story about the present day, but is also worth collecting.

The idea for the gallery was two years in the making. The impetus was a trip to Copenhagen, where Aleksandra first encountered objects – unique works presented in a classic gallery format, which were at the same time at the interface of the disciplines: art and design; they had an allusion of function or were very utilitarian, while at the same time telling stories, representing the author’s visual language. – When I read on the wall at the Design Museum the quote from the critic Stephen Bayley “design is the art of the 20th century”, I thought, how timely! And then I started exploring the phenomenon and found that there was already a whole network of institutions and fairs around the world dedicated to this trend. Because it dovetailed perfectly with my professional experience, I dreamt of showing it to the Polish public, also as an idea for a progressive collector profile ,” she says.

Together with Objekt’s co-founder Marcin Studniarek, who as Managing Partner of the Warsaw office of the international law firm White & Case has been developing an innovative, photographic corporate collection for years, but also collects contemporary art privately, they set themselves the goal of creating a Polish reference point for collectible design. – We are keen to initiate the formation of a new piece of the market so that Polish artists do not have to flee abroad,” adds Marcin Studniarek. The group of those they have invited to collaborate is impressive: Jan Ankiersztajn, the Formsophy duo, Justyn Oboladze, Monika Patuszyńska, Filomena Smoła, Aleksandra Zawistowska cooperate with foreign galleries, exhibit at prestigious events such as iSaloni, give lectures, masterclasses, are invited for residencies, and their works find their way into private and public collections. – OBJEKT will be a gallery, which does not just mean a certain presentation convention, other than a showroom or shop. We want to support artists in the development of their careers and create an interesting programme for the public, ” emphasises Aleksandra Krasny.

OBJEKT’s first inaugural exhibition is entitled ‘Hold Me Tight’ and is a solo show of porcelain works by Monika Patuszyńska, a favourite of interior industry rebel Peter Marino, who regularly commissions works from her for the boutiques she designs: Chanel, Tiffany’s, Guerlain. – ‘ The title is not accidental – it’s an exhibition about connections, relationships, relations, ‘ says Patuszyńska, who disenchants stereotypical thinking about materials. – ‘ I look at them from the moment the form is constructed, at the level of process, technology, but also at the levelthat is triggered in the sphere of meaning ,’ adds the artist.

OBJEKT is not a traditional white cub. The space in the heart of Downtown was designed by the architect, Aleksandra Hyz, and strongly inspired by the architectural fabric around it. The 1960s modernist block that houses the gallery prompted specific material and aesthetic solutions. The ground floor plan is a composition of geometric forms, mutually interpenetrating volumes ‘painted’ with various structures. Luxafers, arranged in the form of an arch, pass into the balustrade on the mezzanine, and the shimmering steel behind which the storeroom and stair structure are hidden builds the final plan, which works beautifully with the light. – ‘It was an insanely interesting task to find a balance between an interior that would be a malleable backdrop and at the same time have its own character,’ confesses the architect. The hallmark of the OBJECT is the bold red floor. – The colourcame upin our conversations fromthe beginning,including those with the Copenhagen-based Hugmun studioworkingon our branding. Itwasmeant tointroduce temperature, butalso aspecific symbolismthat we smuggled in the name itself.Ionce cameacross astatement bySusan Sontag about the phenomenon of collecting. It was she whocalleditan example of insatiabledesire,” explains the gallerist.

When the old herbarium was being cleared of layers of paint and flooring, an old mosaic that had been there originally was discovered. It was not suitable for renovation, but there was a red tile stuck in the black and white checkerboard. –It was like a sign thatred had always been here. Such an affirmation and a nice staple ,” recalls Alexandra. – Steel, cast glass, structural plaster applied by hand, with a broad gesture, and a floor withuneven cement particles convey the idea and intent of the OBJECT project itself. Theseare materialsthatdo not pretend to be anything, they are real and unique in their type and execution – like the objectsthatwill be exhibited here. – concludes Hyz.