The exhibition centres on the river's role and its perception today, highlighting the unique aspects of the Warta, from historical landmarks to modern artworks that form part of its heritage. Collaborating artists include Jadwiga Anioła, Katarzyna Bogusz, Daria Mielcarzewicz, Anna Kędziora, Gosia Kępa, Linda Lemon, Cecylia Malik and the River Sisters, alongside Krzysztof Markowski, Paweł Napierała, and Szymon Waliszewski. Visitors can experience Gosia Kępa's artistic dialogue with the river, view Katarzyna Bogusz's "hunger stones" (speculative objects warning of drought), and immerse themselves in Szymon Waliszewski's musical project, which blends underwater recordings to reflect the intertwining riverine and urban soundscapes.

The river's notable features include an oak tree fragment preserved in a marshy Warta oxbow lake in Poznań for over 3,000 years, and, astoundingly, a sediment cross-section that overviews the area's history throughout the ages all the way back to the glacial era. Recent history is also recounted through features like high-water marks from 1871 and 1891, historic hydraulic engineering structures, interwar postcards and prints by Wilhelm the Wolf Ossecki, as well as video footage from the opening of Poznań's new Warta canal in 1968.

Can Poznań endure without its river? What role has the Warta played in the life of the city and its people over the last two centuries? What message is the river sending today? These and other questions are posed by the exhibition's creators, encouraging visitors to reflect on their own answers.

Written by the Editors

translation: Krzysztof Kotkowski

The Warta. Exercises in Imagination, Śluza Gallery, open until 23 February 2025, free admission

To learn more, see: The Warta River. Exercises in Imagination

© Wydawnictwo Miejskie Posnania 2024