The second edition of NADA Villa Warsaw will take place on 22-25 May 2025 in the historical Gawronski Villa at 23 Ujazdowskie Al. Ujazdowskie in Warsaw. This year's edition will gather 50 contemporary art galleries from 15 countries, confirming the increasing importance of Warsaw as an crucial cultural centre in the region. How it happened that fresh Art Dealers Alliance became curious in Warsaw and what we will see this year, we are talking to Joanna Witek-Lipka, co-organizer of the event.
Alicia the Fighter: How did it always happen that NADA is in Warsaw, how did this cooperation between you happen?
Joanna Witek-Lipka: fresh Art Dealers Alliance to NGO from fresh York City. He promotes and supports art marketplace participants, bringing together galleries and various initiatives around contemporary art from around the world. The NADA frequently supports actors who choose alternate routes and propose more courageous projects. Both Michał Kaczyński and his Raster Gallery and the Leto Gallery, led by Marta Kołakowska, belong to the NADA and participated in various formats which the NADA organized for years.
By 2023, the organization implemented formats only in the United States – in Miami and fresh York – about the trade fair formula, but besides more experimental. For example, 1 of their projects is an exhibition that they do all year on Governors Island in fresh York City, where there are secession villas that fill with art for a while.
Marta and Michał talked for many years about doing a common format in Poland. Events across the ocean were a large challenge for the organization. They required the improvement of a expression that would let the support of associated members not only in the States but besides outside them. For us, here in the local marketplace it was very crucial to make a format that would complement Warsaw Gallery Weekend and bring an global perspective. Martha and Michael worked very long to get NADA to see an chance here. In 2023 Heather Hubbs, the NADA manager accepted our invitation, visited Warsaw during the Warsaw Gallery Weekend and left enchanted. And that is how we managed to convince them that it is not any imaginary, but that truly Warsaw is simply a very cool capital with large possible and has its moment. Marta and Michał invited me to participate in this task and so we started working on the first edition in 2024.
You utilized specified a phrase that Warsaw has its minute right now. What's the moment? Why is this the time worth using?
On the 1 hand, we have a highly developed and centralised art market. MSN joined the strong phase of the contemporary art gallery, this is simply a very clear message, specified a stamp placed in the very centre of Warsaw, a immense institution and possibilities.
In fact, no country, of course, outside Germany, but not in Ukraine, nor in Belarus, the Czech Republic or even in the Baltic States, has the scale of the institution that could represent this peculiar area of art in this way. Warsaw Gallery Weekend besides applied to build specified an image, due to the fact that it is 1 of the most crucial events in our region and it attracts a increasing number of people all year erstwhile it comes to abroad audiences. Our guests from the Baltic and another neighbouring countries besides feel that Warsaw has a position of typical and inactive in combination with current geopolitical changes, with the war in Ukraine, this accent, this strength in the region has moved powerfully towards us. Various events that had previously occurred in Moscow have been marginalized for apparent reasons. This was done by the beginning of MSN mentioned earlier. Additionally, Warsaw itself has something that is increasingly hypnotizing and attracted. As a capital on the 1 hand, it is already highly developed, and on the another it has something wild, its unique character.
What is it?
For years we were compared to Berlin besides in the context of events, due to the fact that Berlin has its Weekend Gallery, which is an amazing, wonderfully developed event. Besides, Warsaw Gallery Weekend modeled on this Berlinian, very, very successful. It was said that Warsaw is simply a small Berlin but little developed. It seems to me that this comparison is no longer necessary, that is, Warsaw truly has its character, it is different from the Berlin one. It is so that erstwhile individual erstwhile comes to Warsaw, especially if he was never here or was long ago, he is truly amazed at how the city develops and what kind of energy he has.
What did your guests who visited Warsaw say about the first edition of NADA Villa Warsaw?
NADA is besides held in May for a reason. We deliberately chose this term, knowing how charming the city is in spring. Warsaw surely charms with greenness and how it is designed. They love the old neighborhoods. In the subject of art, the scale of the marketplace is surprising. Visitors from abroad know part of Polish galleries from various global events specified as Art Base, NADA events held in the United States or from any smaller regional fairs in Europe. But it's not like all the galleries are involved.
Market representatives are amazed how many valuable places there are in Warsaw. They are possibly little visible on the global stage, but their level truly does not deviate from those that are recognisable in the world. A large surprise is the rich gallery offer of the city itself. And of course, MSN is very impressive. He was inactive under construction last year, so we were seeing him before the opening, and it was a substitute... We besides have Zachęta, CSW, we have plenty of city galleries – truly there is simply a place to go and there is something to watch. In fact, it is most likely not possible to do this in specified a short time, so the guests left a year ago with a feeling of distress.
That's all the better, due to the fact that that's a good reason to go back. And this year, Nada returns, returns to Warsaw. What will this edition be?
I think it's different. After the first one, we managed to attract attention and draw – in this multitude of events related to contemporary art in Europe – the eyes of the planet of art to us. Visiting various events happening after our first edition, not only that people knew what NADA Villa Warsaw was, they asked for details. That's the difference! I'm certain it was besides easier to recruit. Last year, Will Gawronski, the building where the event takes place, was a large mystery. This year, taking advantage of the fact that for the second time we are visiting the same location, the galleries know more about the space itself and were able to offer more interesting proposals for correspondence work with the interior.
So this year there will surely be more spatial art. More objects and sculptural groups will appear in the garden that surrounds the villa from behind and will turn into an outdoor gallery, where you can see works of both Polish and abroad artists. This is besides the effect that, knowing space, you can propose something under a given space. There were circumstantial applications for the outside of the property.
You're talking about apps here. What does this strategy look like?
The call announced NADA. Applications are collected through their website. The program board then examined them. As far as the composition is concerned, it was crucial for us that Polish galleries constitute up to half of the participants. And so it is this year. It was so very hard to choose Polish representatives, due to the fact that there were rather quite a few good applications. But it'll make it truly good presentations.
And what was your precedence erstwhile it came to abroad art?
We had a fewer micro-targets. 1 of them is strong representation of the region, so it was crucial for us that the programme included both Ukrainian, Czech and Baltic galleries. We have galleries from Sweden. We besides have Georgian galleries, which brings a peculiar tone. It is crucial for us that artists in hard times have the chance to show their work internationally. On the 1 hand, the regionality of the event is powerfully resounding, and on the another hand, we are delighted to see how much interest the event enjoys outside the region. nipponese galleries have their representations, of course from the United States, Austria, Portugal, UK. Here I can tell you that 1 of the most acclaimed galleries that will be participating in the event this year is Hollybush Gardens from London, which will present Jasleen Kaur, an artist who received the Turner Award for her work last year, 1 of the most crucial European awards in the field of contemporary art. He will present 1 of the works that have just been appreciated as part of this Turner Award. Usually, we gotta go to the problem of seeing global art abroad, and NADA Villa Warsaw is an event that allows us to see the most crucial works locally.
The large advantage of the gallery nature of the event is that it is fresh art, what is happening now. It is precisely the specificity of the gallery market, the primary market, that we are dealing with not the work that was shown five, six years ago and yet scope us, but actually this is what is happening now and is highly current.
See you on 22–25 May 2025 at the historical Gawronski Villa at 23 Ujazdowskie Al. in Warsaw.
Joanna Witek-Lipka Since 2012 she has been managing in culture, production of artistic events and artbranding and branding projects. She has collaborated with specified partners as Hermes, META, Campari, Suzuki, PKO S.A., VRG, ING, Puro, Raffles European, White and Case, NYX or Artistic Journey of Hestia. Since 2014 she has been associated with Edgar Bąk Studio, since 2019 executive producer, and since 2020 manager of Warsaw Gallery Weekend. She is besides co-author of the NADA Villa Warsaw task (2024)
