What’s On in Warsaw: Autumn 2021 � � � �

What's On in Warsaw

Alebrijes: Mexico Made in Poland

Events by date

09.10 - 27.02 » Wilanów Royal Garden of Light

To bring a little cheer to cold autumn and winter evenings (and some appeal to an otherwise grey garden), the Wilanów Palace (p�41) has turned the outdoor premises into a special Royal Garden filled with thousands of colourful diodes, mimicking the baroque shapes of plants� One of Warsaw’s most beloved holiday traditions, almost every local family turns out at some point during the season to see these festive illuminations� On Fri, Sat and Sun evenings, there are shows using 3D projections onto the palace facade� Note that the last entrance is at 20:30�QP‑2, Wilanów Palace Museum, ul. St. Kostki Potockiego 10/16, tel. (+48) 22 544 27 00, Tickets Mon‑Tue 20/5zł, Fri‑Sun 40/10zł; children under 7 free, www.wilanow‑palac.pl.

21.10 - 24.10 » Jazz Jamboree

One of the oldest jazz festivals in Europe, the first edition of Jazz Jamboree took place in the Warsaw Stodola in 1958, and, over the last 60 years, the festival has hosted all the greats of the genre - Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck, Herbie Hancock and many more� The festival has been recently reinvigorated under a new premise - entrusting it to the younger generation under the slogan ‘The Second Wave of Polish Jazz’� Thus, the focus on subsequent line-ups has been on rising stars in Poland, with a great deal of collaboration with foreign greats� Special musical compositions are the goal of these unique partnerships, all of which will be performed and recorded at the festival and are intended to be taken to other events on the international jazz circuit�QF‑12, Stodoła Club, ul. Batorego 10, Tickets from130zł, www.adamiakjazz.pl.

05.11 - 07.11 » Undercity

‘Love, Behave, Rave!’ - this is the motto of Warsaw’s biggest techno event� Undercity takes place over two nights in the Torwar Arena and is known for its extraordinary visuals - Be prepared to be blown away by the music and lights, which have been specifically designed to enhance the already visceral techno experience� Like any good rave, this epic party typically lasts until a very reasonable 8am the next morning, clearly indicating that there’s a lot of fun to be had there! Despite being postponed once, there is no stopping the 2021 edition of Undercity and the line-up features the likes of Boston 168, Elliver, KAS:ST, Marvin Jam, Sam Paganini, Shlømo, Stephanie Sykes and Umwelt�QJ‑10, Torwar Hall, ul. Łazienkowska 6A, Tickets 139‑219zł, www.undercity.pl.

15.11 - 21.11 » Warsaw Jewish Film Festival

The Warsaw Jewish Film Festival will investigate the elements of contemporary Jewish Culture through storytelling and the craft of visual art� The best and newest film productions from the global scale will be featured� During the festival, David’s Camera awards will be presented to the winners of twelve thematic categories, like “best storyline,” or “best documentary�” As of this guide’s publication, we are still awaiting an announcement on the program of films, which never disappoints, so keep an eye on their website: QD‑4, POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, ul. Anielewicza 6, MRatusz Arsenał. Ticket prices undecided at press time.

17.11 - 29.11 » Five Flavours Film Festival

Sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami? Contrary to what the title might make you think, this is not a culinary affair, but a film festival with the aim of promoting the wildest and most intriguing productions from the far east� In fact, Five Flavours is the only annual film festival in Poland to present cinema exclusively from all East, South-East and South Asia� Back for its 13th edition in 2021, this year features a long-awaited inclusion for animation - mainly Japanese Anime, of course, but also a selection of Chinese and other productions, all of which are layered in nuance and themes for both children and adult audiences to appreciate� The Festival has brought numerous premiere screenings of stunning new productions, as well as Asian classics and retrospectives of renowned filmmakers� This year will take on a hybrid format, with screenings will be display in Kino Muranów (E-5) and Kinoteka (F-8) from Nov 17-24, with the rest of the program being viewable online from Nov 17-29�QFestival passes 160‑ 420 zł, www.piecsmakow.pl.

08.12 18:00 » The Simon & Garfunkel Story Concert

This emotion-filled concert transports you to the musical world of the most famous vocal duo of the 60’s� This was the era of Simon and Garfunkel and their popularity has since reached the heights of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones� Their subtle vocal harmonies continue to enchant audiences even today, which is why the group’s fiftieth anniversary in the form of this extraordinary tribute show has been such a hit� Debuting in London’s West End, sold-out venues, standing ovations and enthusiastic reviews have proceeded them, in particular from the BBC, who described the show as “fantastic, authentic and exciting”� The Simon and Garfunkel Story is now taking on the world, and Warsaw is the next stop! Accompanying the band’s greatest hits will be projections of archival photos and films,

Cosmos Disovery Exhibition

helping creating a truly unique and memorable musical event�QJ‑10, Torwar Hall, ul. Łazienkowska 6A, Tickets 250/130zł.

Exhibitions

UNTIL 30.11 » Cosmos Discovery Exhibition

For the first time ever in Poland, a NASA’s bountiful collection of real spacecraft components, astronautical equipment and lifesize recreations of historic space stations and crafts give visitors the chance to experience the adventure of space travel like never before! From both the American and Russian space programs, some of which Poland has also participated, the mighty artefacts take up more than 3,000m2 of floor space� Most notably, lifesize recreations of landmark spacecrafts, such as the MIR orbital station, the cockpit of the Columbia space shuttle, and Apollo 11, alow visitors to enter and get up close and personal� You can also experience an interactive astronaut training with state-of-the-art 3D technology!QNowa Praga Museum, ul. Jagiellońska 82A, Tickets from 35zł.

27.10 - 05.12 » Alebrijes: Mexico Made in Poland

This exhibition takes place every year during All Saints’ Day and All Souls Day in Poland, the European equivalent of the Day of the Dead in Mexico� The rites, in both cultures, related to these celebrations are intended to help people get used to what is both inevitable and mysterious - Death! The sculptures from the Mexican version of this age-old tradition are full of allegories and meanings, featuring out-of-thisworld creatures and other vivid imagery that aims to come to terms with what awaits us on the other side! QF‑6, National Ethnographic Museum, ul. Kredytowa 1, MNowy Świat‑Uniwersytet, tel. (+48) 22 827 76 41, Tickets 14/7zł, Thu free (Including the Museum for Children), www.ethnomuseum.pl. Open 10:00 ‑ 17:00, Wed 11:00 ‑ 19:00, Sat 10:00 ‑ 18:00, Sun 12:00 ‑ 17:00. Closed Mon.

Everyday Forms of Resistance

© Piotr Bekas

UNTIL 30.01 » Sayam Ghosh: Jak powraca las

Born and raised in Calcutta, photographer Sayam Ghosh has been living in Poland for eight years, during which time he focused his latest body of work on nearby Kampinos Forest area (p�65) and its significant ecological change over the last 60 years� A recreation of the forest on an exceptional scale is the result of in-depth research and a close collaboration between the artist and scientists from Kampinos National Park� The perspective of change is also assisted in the first part of the exhibition by archival photos� The second part is a spatial installation combining a musical piece based on field recordings in the Forest and visualisations of scientific research on the current state of the forest�QGallery Rynek 30, Rynek 32, www.muzeumwarszawy.pl.

UNTIL 21.11 » Everyday Forms of Resistance

The result of long-running projects by Palestinian artists and the past four years of travel, research and collaboration between Polish artists and Palestinian communities, this exhibit in collaboration with the Palestinian Embassy familiarises its audience with issues relevant to Palestinians today� ‘Resistance’ in the context of the exhibit is not understood as armed opposition to nagging oppression, but rather as the everyday practice of persistence, hospitality, and memory in the seemingly insignificant, daily rituals of preparing meals, growing plants, singing songs, and rebuilding demolished houses�QI‑10, Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art, ul. Jazdów 2, MPolitechnika, tel. (+48) 22 628 12 71, Admission 16/8zł to all exhibitions, for two exhibitions 12/6zł, for one exhibition 10/5zł, entrance to project room 5zł, students up to 26 years of age 1zł. Thu free., www.u‑jazdowski.pl. Open 12:00 ‑ 19:00, Thu 12:00 ‑ 21:00. Closed Mon. UNTIL 16.01 » Political Art

This large, provocative and controversial exhibit delivers on its simple statement of presenting ‘political art’ from a wide variety of artists, from various countries, touching on a wide variety of issues� Although some would argue that all art is political, these works are overtly so, which challenges the viewer to contemplate when freedom of expression and the tools of dissent ascend to the status of ‘art�’ The works on display conspicuously lack adequate context for the uneducated viewer to understand the politics underlying them� This may allow their artisitic merit to be considered more fairly, but it also exposes the audience to views that some have accused of being racist, fascist, homophobic or propagating disinformation� Although it serves the age-old question of ‘what is art,’ is it justified?QI‑10, Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art, ul. Jazdów 2, MPolitechnika, tel. (+48) 22 628 12 71, Admission 16/8zł to all exhibitions, for two exhibitions 12/6zł, for one exhibition 10/5zł, entrance to project room 5zł, students up to 26 years of age 1zł. Thu free., www.u‑jazdowski.pl. Open 12:00 ‑ 19:00, Thu 12:00 ‑ 21:00. Closed Mon.

UNTIL 24.10 » Praga of the 1970s. Photographs by Albert Krystyniak

Over 80 photographs from a larger photo reportage made in the 1970s, have been selected for this exhibition, offering a warts-and-all insight into the Praga district of Warsaw (p�48) and the people that lived there� The photographer Albert Krystyniak, is one such individual, and his creative eye has successfully captured the legacy of a flawed 19th-century city, the lingering damage of wartime, as well as the neglect and makeshift character of the early Polish People’s Republic� QJ‑3, Praga Museum of Warsaw, ul. Targowa 50/52, MDworzec Wileński, tel. (+48) 22 518 34 30, Admission 5/3 zł., www.muzeumpragi.pl. Open 10:00 ‑ 18:00, Thu 10:00 ‑ 20:00. Closed Mon.

08.10 - 31.01 » The NBA Exhibition

Presenting the culture, history and lifestyle associated with the NBA (National Basketball Association), this exhibition invites visitors of all ages to enter the world of the NBA� Combining a uniquely rich history with the fascinating present of a generation of incredible players now playing, the exhibition will take fans on a journey through 20 uniquely-themed zones� Guests will have the unique opportunity to take part in interactive fun activities such as VR presentations, take their own photo with Larry O’Brian’s championship trophy, play the latest NBA 2K22 game and much more�QK‑2, Praga Koneser Center, Plac Konesera 2, MDworzec Wileński, Tickets from 30zł.