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Polish regional art goes global in South Korea exhibition by women artists

20.01.2026 10:40
A new exhibition in South Korea is set to showcase the vibrant creativity of female artists from Poland’s Podlasie region, highlighting the fusion of traditional craft and contemporary expression.
On 21 January 2026, female artists from Polands Podlasie region bring traditional and contemporary works to a South Korean museum in Paju.
On 21 January 2026, female artists from Poland’s Podlasie region bring traditional and contemporary works to a South Korean museum in Paju. Photo courtesy of Friends of South Korea Foundation

The showcase, titled From Thread to Light: Women’s Faces of Art on the Podlasie - Korea Trail, opens on 21 January at the Artrin Museum in Paju, located in north-western South Korea, a city renowned for its cultural festivals and dense network of galleries.

The works come from Podlasie, a region in eastern Poland known for its rich cultural heritage and traditional crafts.

Organised by the Friends of South Korea Foundation, the show features a diverse array of works: Paulina Horby’s ceramics, Aga Krysiuk’s paintings on vinyl records, traditional paintings by Bernarda Nikitorowicz and Ewelina Ramotowska, handwoven textile art by Beata Palikot-Borowska and Katarzyna Samojluk, and fashion designs by Aneta Popławska, who discusses her creations in the video below.

Małgorzata Margot Adamowicz-Nosowska, president of the foundation, explained that the exhibition tells the story of women’s art in Podlasie, a region with a rich cultural heritage.

“The narrative begins with traditional crafts, especially pottery and weaving, which form the foundation of the region’s identity,” she said.

“The exhibition then moves through painting, fashion, and vinyl-based art, reflecting Podlasie’s openness to new technologies, global trends, and international artistic dialogue.”

Paju, a sister city to Białystok near Poland’s eastern border, was chosen for its symbolic significance.

“It is a city of art, books, and dialogue, located at the meeting point of different worlds and cultures,” Adamowicz-Nosowska noted. She added that the exhibition offers an important platform for Podlasie’s artists to reach international audiences and foster cultural exchange.

Opublikowany przez Fundacja Przyjaciół Korei Południowej Friends of South Korea Foundation Czwartek, 15 stycznia 2026

The show runs until 5 February, with support from the city of Białystok, the Podlasie region, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the Polish Embassy in Seoul, and private sponsors.

Plans are also underway to invite South Korean artists to a reciprocal exhibition, Rzeczpospolita Babska, scheduled for March at the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic.


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Opublikowany przez Fundacja Przyjaciół Korei Południowej Friends of South Korea Foundation Poniedziałek, 12 stycznia 2026

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Source: Friends of South Korea Foundation/PAP