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Post by pieter on Aug 7, 2010 12:58:53 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Aug 7, 2010 13:00:21 GMT -7
Czuły Barbarzyńca – Inspiration in a cup of coffeeJun 8th, 2010 | By: Ola Synowiec & Szymon Kubia In Warsaw there are a lot of places which are mixes of a bookshop and a café but Czuły Barbarzyńca is for sure the best known one and I think the first place like this in the city. “Czuły Barbarzyńca” (“Tender Barbarian”) is the title of the novel by Bohumil Hrabal – the Czech writer who spent all his life in little pubs talking with people and finding inspiration for his new novels. Our Warsaw Czuły Barbarzyńca is a place where one can find inspiration too. During the day it is rather a silent place. It is one of these places where it is cool to come alone. To seat, drink coffee, read a book and smoke a cigarette. A lot of people bring their computers and work (there’s free wifi in the café). In the evenings there are meetings with authors and vernissages. On Sundays at 11am there are meetings for children where fairytales are read. You can find also some books in English. I like to go there with my guests to have a little break in sightseeing and to take an album about Warsaw and see where we should go next. My flatmates went there for their third date and they fell in love over a book of fairytales. You can meet me sitting here in the lazy afternoons drinking delicious hot chocolate (which I really recommend, but remember: the small one is really enough!).
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Post by pieter on Aug 7, 2010 13:03:11 GMT -7
Etnokino – Polish movies with english subtitlesIn the Ethnographic Museum there is a cinema which projects mainly Polish movies. On Mondays there are special shows for foreigners with English subtitles. The movies which are chosen are various. One can see the old and the newest ones, comedies and dramas, the movies of the greatest Polish directors like Wajda or Polański or movies which are not so well known. Once a month there is a special show prepared by one of Warsaw schools of Polish for foreigners. Before the movie there is a short introduction and after the show guests can discuss about the movie in Polish or in English. It’s a good way to improve Polish and talk about Polish culture. Info about the program is on the museum’s site -> ‘Etnokino’. In the Ethnographic Museum generally there are temporary exhibitions from Poland and from the whole world as well. It’s good to be up on the news from the museum because there’re organised many interesting events: workshops, conferences and festivals.
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Post by pieter on Aug 7, 2010 13:05:33 GMT -7
5-10-15 – Space for good cultureJun 8th, 2010 | By: Ola Synowiec & Szymon Kubia 5-10-15 is one of the youngest alternative-art places in Warsaw, and… the most unlucky one. The opening party with 6000 people attending on Facebook was stopped (just before the start) by the police. However, the place is still open. 5-10-15 took the name from kid’s tv show broadcasted in Polish TV from 1982 to 2007, but the place is rather for adult people (however, kids can have fun too). This tenement house used to be an ordinary block of flats but now it’s full of artistic studios and has a huge yard, where you can lay on deckchairs. The founders of this Berlin-style place want to have there also a club. But in regard to that case with police it remains in plans. The tenement house is covered by astonishing murals. There are always several art exhibitions.
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Post by pieter on Aug 7, 2010 13:09:12 GMT -7
WARSAW - THE HEART OF POLAND
AT GLANCE
The capital of Poland was practically rebuilt from scratch after World War II. Warsaw's vibrant business downtown takes pride in its many skyscrapers and ambitious plans to build more. The catchy skyline is still dominated by the enormous Palace of Culture and Science – Stalin's donation to Poland. Warsaw is a world in itself, with an eastern European flavour. Do not miss the beautiful Old Town, the Royal Route, the Chopin museum, several magnificent palaces and the former Jewish ghetto.
* Warszawa Chopina (Chopin’s Warsaw) :
In Warsaw, you can see the most clearly how the city is taking full advantage of the tremendous and unique opportunities arising from the emergence of free market and the development of democracy. Poland's capital is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe. The investment boom is visible everywhere you look. The city has become one big construction and renovation site. The office and commercial buildings commissioned in the recent years accommodate hundreds of business, research institutions, banks and international organisations. Scores of new ones are going up in Warsaw, and the demand for high-class office space is still enormous. Keys have been handed to nearly 20,000 new flats and luxury apartments. The underground line is currently being extended, and the construction of waste treatment plant is in progress. Each year sees the opening of new hypermarkets and shopping centres. Industrial facilities in the automotive, electronics and food-processing sectors have been undergoing refurbishment.
During the past five years, the value of Warsaw's development projects has surpassed $ 5 billion. Most of them were made possible by the involvement of foreign capital. Large buildings erected by foreign investors have become permanent features of the cityscape. Representative offices and headquarters are being built not only by major banks and insurance companies of international reputation operating in Warsaw, but also by consortia active throughout Poland even in the neighbouring countries. They choose Warsaw for its central location in Europe, convenient international travel connections, a developed telecommunication network, as well as economic and political stability.
Those investing in Warsaw can be sure of a very high rate of return on capital invested - a rarity in large cities, and a developed, absorbent consumer market.
Yet it is the city's people who are its real asset.
Warsaw, a city with a population of nearly 2 million, is the country's largest university and research centre with an enormous and highly skilled workforce. There are also 10,000 to 20,000 western managers, specialists working in the capital, deployed by consulting and development companies recognised world-wide, along with the hundreds of Western businesspeople visiting the city daily. Foreigners working here appreciate good working conditions and a favourable attitude of the people of Warsaw.
We are pleased to invite you to Warsaw, the city that is also attractive in cultural and tourist terms. A number of well-known cultural events of international importance are held here. The extensive repertoire of scores of theatres, numerous concert halls and cinemas will satisfy even the most exacting audience.
Finally, we would like to invite you to Warsaw of numerous historic buildings and reminders of its glorious past, the capital that is changing rapidly from a drab city into a modern metropolis, as young as the people who live here, and becoming more beautiful by the day.
ARTS & CULTURE
Warsaw is also a lively arts centre; the country's cultural capital. Numerous theatres, cinemas and dozens of museums and galleries contribute to the city's rich and high-quality cultural offerings. The national theatre, Teatr Narodowy (Great Theatre), is Warsaw's most illustrious stage for the dramatic arts. Teatr Studio Buffo, a revue theatre, has won a tremendous level of popularity, along with Dramatyczny and Powszechny theatres. Warsaw's puppet theatres, Lalka and Baj, have also established a reputation abroad. Music lovers can attend performances in Opera Narodowa (National Opera) located in Teatr Wielki or in Opera Cameralna, Warsaw's famous chamber opera, or listen to concerts in Filharmonia Narodowa (National Philharmonic).
Tourists in Warsaw should not miss Muzeum Narodowe (National Museum) and Muzeum Historyczne Miasta Warszawy (History of Warsaw Museum) in the Old Town Square. From the square it is only a few steps to the meticulously reconstructed Royal Castle. The Baroque Wilanów Palace in the southern part of the city was King John III Sobieski's residence. It rivals the Royal Castle for grandeur and the standard of its works of art. Other tourist highlights are Łazienki Palace and Gardens and the Old Town, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Warsaw's cultural life does not slow down even for a moment. The season opens in September with the Warsaw Autumn, the International Festival of Contemporary Music. The Warsaw Film Festival starts at the beginning of October. This is also the time of the Jazz Jamboree Festival. November is an exciting month for theatre lovers. Every year in late March and early April enthusiasts of new media can participate in the Lab Multimedia Art Festival. The Poster Biennale is another event of international renown. In summer, when professional theatres close for the summer holidays, the Open-Air Theatre Festival begins. Another international highlight is the Chopin Piano Competition.
DOING BUSINESS IN WARSAW
Warsaw has a booming economy almost free of unemployment. It offers an attractive business environment with a full range of modern business services and well-trained professionals familiar with western standards.
It is the financial centre of this part of Europe and an important consumer market. It has become the focal point of foreign investments and a driving force in the development of the entire country's economy.
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Post by pieter on Aug 9, 2010 14:25:57 GMT -7
Warsaw Nightlife Stand aside pretenders! Many cities lay claim to the best parties in Poland, but only Warsaw’s nightlife credentials bear up to serious examination. Krakow may boast more bars per square metre than anywhere else on the planet ( or so Krakovians keep telling us!) and Poznan is often cited as the home of electronic music in Poland - whilst the boom town of Wroclaw isn’t shy of a great venue or two either; but if you’re looking for all-night parties, beautiful people, international DJs, fantastic venues and generally plenty of drugs, sex and rock’n’roll then there’s only one place to start your search. In Poland’s vibrant, cosmopolitan and fast-paced capital. Of course one man’s roisterous rave is another man’s dud disco, so it’s worth doing your research before you pack your red paint and jump aboard the next easyJet flight. However since Warsaw boasts every type of entertainment from boho bars and louche lounges to meatmarket clubs and hands-in-the-air techno joints, a little knowledge is often the only key needed to unlock her best treasures (…notwithstanding a decent dress sense to make it past the decidedly picky bouncers!). We’ll give you some ideas in each nightlife category below, although for a full run-down check out our bars and clubs directory where you’ll find blow-by-blow accounts of what Warsaw has to offer – including reviews from that all important critic, Joe Public. Most sensible people would agree that the prelude to any good night clubbing out starts at a bar. The chance to listen to ear-splitting hardcore trance whilst being jostled by bare-chested meatheads and spaced-out supermodels is never so appealing when sober. There are of course many who would say that it’s not that appealing when drunk, in which case the bar takes on an added import as the sole focus of your night. But whether you’re dropping by simply for the sake of oiling up, or because you intend to make yourself part of the furniture, we can strongly recommend you checking out the likes of NoBo, Organza, Paprotka, Lemon Cafe, Cinnamon and Sheesha when in Warsaw. NoBo was one of Warsaw’s best kept secrets for a long time, and despite the fact that the cat is now on the other side of the world to the bag, is still worth popping in for a mojito or two. Indulgent décor, great food, drinks and DJs, and a little bit of snootiness at the door, it has spawned a lot of imitators - which is a recommendation in itself. Organza, Paprotka and Lemon Cafe meanwhile are a bit more laid-back and can be low-key or loud depending on the crowd, whilst Cinnamon boasts some of the toughest face control in town and hence is reliably packed with girls fresh from the casting couch of the latest Bond movie. Finally Sheesha is a great place to explore Warsaw, Arabian-nights-style… Hookahs, bellydancers and more provide for many an Oriental adventure. And of course if all you want from your nightlife is a good old pint of the black stuff, Patrick’s Irish Pub is a superior venue of its kind. SheeshaBars are all very well and good but when it comes to real nightlife adventure – or should we say misadventure – the clubs are where it’s at. Warsaw really comes into it’s own when it comes to nightclubs, and the excitement and pace of life in the big city is reflected in its nocturnal underworld. Glamour, glitz and sleaze seem to infiltrate venues in equal measure and whereas prices are considerably higher than in the rest of Poland they are still considerably cheaper than the likes of London and Moscow – and, in our well-travelled opinion, many are just as good. The big names on the scene (for those who prefer the integrity of good dance music to the common denominator of mainstream chart rubbish) are Piekarnia, Balsam, Klubo Kawiarnia, ON/OFF, M25 and Luzztro. Piekarnia has been a staple fave of the scene for several years now, and although there’s no cool status awards for having been there these days, it’s still a reliable performer. Warsaw’s best DJs play alongside the odd international turntablist, meaning guests rarely leave disappointed. Klub Balsam is cult favourite of note – sleepy café by day, and arty party place by night, it’s locale in the Mokatow fort lends it an extra cool factor. Klubo Kawiarnia must be one of the best nights in town. You’re more likely to get in by knowing the barstaff than wearing your best Armani shirt – which is surely a good thing - and the funky music and atmosphere is hard to beat. ON/OFF exploded on to the scene last year and seems to have effortlessly created a vibe of unbridled good times, whilst M25 is so hip it doesn’t even open unless they’re hosting a special event. Finally no Warsaw night out is complete without calling in on Luzztro on the way home. The city’s official afterparty many a legendary tale surrounds this den of hedonism… If you’re into munching disco biscuits ‘til dawn (and beyond) head on down. PiekarniaIf however mixing with a chic crowd is more important to you than getting sweaty on the dance floor, you should definitely call on Foksal 19. A fantastic looking place full of fantastic looking faces, it has successfully emulated the formula of London’s most elitist bars. And if you can’t get in there then Szlafrok is another quality venue along the same lines. Foksal 19Meanwhile those looking for a plain old piss up with a friendly crowd have plenty of options too. Ground Zero is great place for drinking and sharking, whilst Club 70 (ul. Walicow 9) have added a retro twist to proceedings if you fancy a bit of Bee Gees with your G & Ts, and the aptly named Zoo provides the same kind of mayhem but with some plush décor and the odd serious track at the weekends. Club 70Club 70Read all that and still feeling left out? Fear not, there is a little something for the rock, indie and other alternative kids in Warsaw. Klub Stodola (ul. Batorego 10), Klub Palladium (ul. Zlota 7/9), Klub Proxima (ul. Zwirki i Wigury 99a) and Jadlodajnia Filozoficzna (ul. Dobra 33/35) all showcase regular live events and we list many of the goings-ons in our events calendar... So stay tuned if you want the latest news on ragga, heavy metal and electro-synth concerts. Closterkeller is a Polish Gothic metal band from Warsaw
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Post by pieter on Aug 19, 2010 3:06:53 GMT -7
The Polish art sceneModern art reviewMagdalena Kownacka | 19th January 2008A look back at the contemporary Polish art market in 2007.The year 2007 was strange for contemporary art. It was a year of great international events such as the Venice Biennale, Documenta in Kassel, and Sculpture Project in Munster. Lots of art, lots of projects, lots of artists. But, maybe even because of this overwhelming quantity of everything, one might feel that something is missing, that something must be changed, that some ideas have become exhausted and boring. Artists advanced a huge range of strategies and, of course, not all of them failed. I find the idea of a comeback of aesthetic values and some kind of formalism interesting. Further, I feel that it provides at least a glimpse of possible future developments. But, with regard to the endurance and patience of the reader and an eye to the size of this article, the more general perspective will be glossed to better focus on our more local Polish outlook. In Poland, 2007 was a year of anticipation for something that we could not precisely characterise as a longing for fresh air and change. It appeared instead to be a year of summation with a strong presence of recognised masters. In 2007, we had three excellent unveilings of artists who we all believed great, but nobody actually knew why. Now we know why, and it was a pleasure to experience a complex and admirable show of Katarzyna Kozyra at Wroclaw, read a manifesto of Artur Zmijewski at " Krytyka polityczna" and see a long-awaited presentation of Wilhelm Sasnal's works in Warsaw. Katarzyna KozyraArtur ZmijewskiWilhelm Sasnal Girl Smoking (Anka) 2001 Oil on Canvas 45 x 50cmWilhelm Sasnal's portraits of women explore modern concepts of beauty and representation. The pop star Peaches is given a degenerate Warhol glam; Anka, the alabaster sophistication of Katz. Dominika, painted in greyscale, has the allure of outdated photography suggestive of distinctively Eastern European chic.The American painter Alex KatzWilhelm Sasnal approaches feminine idealism as a construct of fashion. It's not the physicality of the women themselves, but rather the style with which they're represented. Each rendered in a manner associated with a specific time and place, Wilhelm Sasnal's portraits aren't classical icons, but models defined by their own sell-by dates. All pictured smoking a cigarette, Sasnal alludes to the slow self-destruction of their beauty.A domination of masters often forebodes weak followers, and that was also visible this year. Exhibitions accompanying two important art competitions for emerging artists (the Geppert Prize and " Spojrznia," the Deutsche Bank Foundation's award for young Polish artists), revealed a state of stagnation in young art. However, chasing about for a new Sasnal and always younger future artistic superstars yielded no visible results, an outcome few galleries proclaimed. Two names were especially visible in art discourses this year - Tomasz Kowalski and Przemyslaw Matecki. Do they really represent the new standard we've been longing for? We will see, but I wouldn't be too sure of it. Tomasz KowalskiPrzemyslaw MateckiAlso two notable publications that were supposed to be presenting emerging Polish artists and representatives of the young Polish scene - Tekstylia bis ( ha!art) and " Nowe zjawiska w sztuce polskiej po 2000 roku" (" New phenomena in Polish art after 2000," Center for Contemporary Art, Warsaw) - seem to be restating the status quo, rather than foreseeing new directions. Of course, their appearance is of great importance both for popularising contemporary art in Poland and serving as a compendium for people interested in the art world. But because of their tendency to encapsulate the field, they heighten the feeling of conclusion rather than preface. This attitude also carried over into some curatorial endeavors. " Polish Painting of the 21st Century" in Zacheta, the National Gallery of Art, was in my opinion both an important and symptomatic presentation. Emphasising the strong appeal of the medium, the exhibition provides a roster and summation of the achievements of Polish painters gaining visibility and appreciation abroad during the course of previous years. This year also had some shows of artists recognised abroad and who came back to present their works to ungrateful Polish audiences. This was the case with Marcin Maciejowski ( Gallery Artpol, Krakow and Pies, Poznan) Jakub Julian Ziolkowski ( F.A.I.T. Gallery, Krakow) and Wilhelm Sasnal ( Zacheta, The National Gallery of Art, Warsaw). Besides art shows, prizes and rankings, theoretical discussions raged. The most significant was that accompanying the competition for building the Museum of Contemporary Art in Warsaw, which consequently resulted in the rejection of its determinations. The competition's international jury selected a project proposed by Swiss architect Christian Kerez. His design, lets call it a neo-modernistic building of monumental style, was rejected by the board of the museum as being dysfunctional and unsightly. The decision started a stormy discussion about the goals and duties of a contemporary museum, escalating into further discussions concerning the place of contemporary and modernistic architecture both in the city and in society at large. Christian KerezThe Kerez project has as many advocates as antagonists. It is most likely not the end of the debate, particularly considering the odd legal status of the competition. It has been a refreshing diversion for the art society. Interwoven with the debate over Kerez's modernistic project, the topic of modernism and its heritage has been often raised. The topic has been present in Polish art and culture far longer than just this past year, but I believe this year's suppositions were a type of coronation for the subject. This conclusion is supported by two significant events: the opening of the Institute of Avant-garde at Edward Krasinski's Studio, one of the greatest Polish neo-avant-garde artists (rediscovered by Foksal Gallery Foundation) and the presentation of Monika Sosnowska at the Polish pavilion during the Venice Biennale. This show was a great success and an important voice in redefining modernistic heritage, with its distinctive architectural, societal and esthetic conceptualisations. These two events fulfilled the goal of recent discussions, proclaiming a new era of the contemporaneous existence of historical consciousness and modernity. So it is also a kind of end. A mural of Monika SosnowskaIn spite of the dark vision of the Polish art scene, with its stagnation and seemingly inevitable endings, I remain optimistic, though questioning the shape of future developments, which remain hidden beneath the horizon. Some small steps have been made. The Contemporary Art Museum in Warsaw has a new director and a new board, and the chances that it will finally be built have improved. The project for the Contemporary Art Center in Krakow has also been accepted. Public collections are growing and, also because of that, the art market has been launched in Poland. New galleries - ZPAF i S-ka, Krakow; Artpol, Krakow; F.A.I.T., Krakow; Starter, Poznan; and others - have appeared, indicating that a shift of generations will eventually happen. This time the institutions and galleries are ready before the art itself has appeared. Perhaps, new situations and new possibilities will lead to a revitalisation of art.
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Post by pieter on Aug 19, 2010 3:38:45 GMT -7
Warsaw Meets BerlinEarly Years in the KunstwerkeCurrently, the Polish art scene is considered to be one of the most vital worldwide, while young artists like Wilhelm Sasnal, Rafal Bujnowski, and Monika Sosnowska are celebrated internationally. In comparison, however, the response in their home country remains weak. But this will presumably change with the new planned building for the Museum for Modern Art in the center of Warsaw. Supported by politicians as a flagship for a modern Poland, the project is highly controversial in certain parts of the population. In this context, the exhibition Early Years at the Kunstwerke in Berlin reflects the art museum’s birth in the midst of a political and social discourse. TITLE: Car Mobile collage ARTIST: Paulina Olowska WORK DATE: 2009 CATEGORY: Mixed Media MATERIALS: silkscreen on paper and fabric, glue, colored gels, tape, foil, oil marker and crayon SIZE: h: 99 x w: 73.5 in / h: 251.5 x w: 186.7 cmWhile Paulina Olowska, who is represented in the Deutsche Bank Collection, has created a fluorescent ad that recalls the first temporary location of the museum in one of the ’60s residential blocks so typical for Warsaw, Anna Molska’s video work The Mourners from 2010 depicts women of a rural singing group performing mourning songs in the exhibition space of the Center for Polish Sculpture. Molska, who was awarded a residency in the Villa Romana in Florence during the 2009 Views Prize competition for young Polish art, lets two worlds collide that hardly seem at all compatible – local folklore and institutionalized art world. The current winner of the Views Prize 2009 is also present in the Kunstwerke exhibition: Wojciech Bakowski presents a new episode of his Spoken Film, which combines references to traditional Polish animated film with the aesthetic of contemporary street art. Early Years Kunstwerke, Berlin Februar 28 – May 2, 2010
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Post by pieter on Aug 29, 2010 5:29:33 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Aug 29, 2010 5:39:24 GMT -7
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seal
Freshman Pole
Posts: 48
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Post by seal on Sept 14, 2010 13:13:20 GMT -7
Wow very impressive. I am definitely going to visit very soon. My husband never took me but I will explore it by myself and this my next adventure.
So poland here I come....
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Post by Jaga on Oct 2, 2010 22:57:54 GMT -7
Pieter and all,
beautiful job with Warsaw impressions. I could recognize some of the pictures from my last visit. It is a pity that there is no Hanoi's district anymore.
I wish the weather in Warsaw was better, more sunshine. When we were there it was just raining almost all the time.
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