Galeria Wschód is pleased to participate in NADA Villa Warsaw with a site specific painterly presentation by Karolina Bielawska (b. 1986, Olsztyn, PL).

NADA Villa Warsaw
15-19 May, 2024

Villa Gawrońskich
Al. Ujazdowskie 23
Warsaw, Poland

NADA Villa Warsaw brings together a diverse selection of 44 international galleries and art spaces from 25 cities to present artists in a collaborative exhibition format, engaging the distinctive character of Villa Gawrońskich, a neo-baroque architectural landmark located in the heart of Warsaw.

One night in the Polish region Mazury, the artist’s homeland, a storm broke two willows that had been growing close to her family home since her childhood days.

After that, whenever she visited the spot, she felt pain, similar to the kind caused by harm or loss. However, as time passed, the willows started to grow back and the pollarded stumps slowly blanketed with longitudinal shags of branches and leaves. Observing this gradual rebirth elicited an unexpected mixture of feelings: yearning, euphoria, regret, relief.

It turns out that due to its unique ability to regenerate, the willow was perceived, in Slavic mythology, as a symbol of vital forces, fertility, and life reborn. Then according to folk tradition, a belief prevailed that a hollow willow is dwelled by the devil himself.

A willow can grow in tough terrain, especially wetlands, which makes it a natural barrier against excess water. Her thick, hanging shoots resemble loose hair.

Karolina Bielawska (b. 1986, Olsztyn, PL) lives and works in Warsaw. Selected solo exhibitions: Comebacks, Echo Cologne (2024); Connective Tissue, Warsaw Gallery Weekend, Wschód Warsaw (2023); As Above, So Below, BWA Olsztyn, Olsztyn (2022); Fields w/ Matthew Peers, Wschód Warsaw (2021). Selected group exhibitions: After the Rain, Mountains of Literature Festival, Sarny Castle, Ścinawka Górna (2025); Arsenał 60! On Collecting, Collections, and the Love of Arsenal, Arsenal Gallery, Białystok (2025); Why not here?, Wschód Warsaw (2025); Seas, Night Skies, and Deserts, Wschód New York (2024); Back to School, II High School named after King Jan III Sobieski in Cracow, Cracow (2023); Controlfriction, MOS, Gorzów Wielkopolski (2022); Soft, Hidden, Exposed, Double Q Gallery, Hong Kong (2022); Baitball Project 02, Palazzo San Giuseppe, Polignano a Mare (2022).