9 April – 28 September 2025
10 PLN / 8 PLN, Thursday 1 PLN

Lost and Found: The Past and Future of Kamionek

An unremarkable quarter of Warsaw as seen through the eyes of Marcin Wicha and Agnieszka Rayss.

Kamionek—the exhibition

Fascinated by the Kamionek quarter of Warsaw, Marcin Wicha and Agnieszka Rayss produced an exhibition and a book devoted to this little-known part of the capital city’s right bank. Words and photographs complement each other, forming a one-of-a-kind mosaic of narratives. The exhibition Lost and Found: The Past and Future of Kamionek presents objects and archival materials from the collection of the Praga Museum of Warsaw, contemporary photographs by taken by Agnieszka Rayss and even… cobblestones from the grounds of the former Veterinary Institute (today home to the Sinfonia Varsovia orchestra).

Kamionek—the book

The book Kamionek consists of a dozen short texts in which Wicha, with his famed attention to detail and appreciation for seemingly insignificant things, sketches a map of travels through time and space. Rayss’ photographs, taken especially for this publication, show that different perspectives can meet and intersect in surprising ways. Together, the authors created a unique narrative not only about Kamionek, but also about how one can watch and experience a city.

How old is Kamionek? Who knows! For sure it wasn’t called ‘Kamionek’ in the olden days.*

The village of Kamion appears in the chronicles already in the 14th century. It wasn’t, however, incorporated within the borders of Warsaw until 1891. In the second half of the 19th century and throughout the 20th century, Kamionek was an industrial area. Lenses, pumps, bullets, cigarette tubes, irons, saddles and harnesses, acetylene tanks, and even the legendary ptasie mleczko (lit.: ‘bird’s milk,’ the iconic Polish confectionery—chocolate covered soft, marshmallow-like bar) were all produced here. After the 1989 transformation, most factories were shut down. Today, former industrial sites are being redeveloped into residential and service areas. Change seems to be the only unchangeable feature of Kamionek.

It takes one walk to get acquainted with the post-industrial world

Marcin Wicha and Agnieszka Rayss developed a particular fondness for this unremarkable corner of the city. They wandered endlessly across the small quarter, capturing all that was disappearing and tracing the layers of history—the Monument to the Construction of the Brzeski Route, factory buildings in their new roles, fragments of cobbled streets, Skaryszewski Park, Grochowska Street or a squat being liquidated. They also unearthed objects from the past in the vast storage rooms of the Museum of Warsaw.

In 2022, the Praga Museum of Warsaw invited the pair to organise a walk in Kamionek. That joint excursion became a key moment in the development of the exhibition and the book.

One may practice Kamionek-graphy anywhere

The exhibition Lost and Found: The Past and Future of Kamionek guides visitors along the material traces of old Kamionek, the spectres of the industrial era as well as the latest chapter in its history. The once-close relationship between the human world and nature changed with the onset of industrialization in this part of Warsaw. The post-communist decay is now giving way to gentrification. Housing developments are rising—along with new revitalization plans.

Folders full of clippings, letters, old reviews, leaflets, posters, postcards, and drawings

The book Kamionek—the text penned by Marcin Wicha and photographs taken by Agnieszka Rayss—is a tale about the history of the place and, at the same time, a poetic essay on the transience of life. It is also an extraordinary testament to the mindfulness and attention of both authors who were able to notice unassuming details around them—a crack in the pavement, a faded flag, old, worn-out ads. From these observations, they compose a mosaic-like portrait of a corner of Warsaw close to their hearts, where traces of the past are slowly fading and falling into oblivion.

* Text in italics is quoted from the book Kamionek.

Excerpt from the book:

Kamionek craves exaggeration. And exaggerate we shall. What does that mean: “we”? I shall. I am going to glorify the grass, to be affectionate towards the trampled paving stones, the concrete surfaces, scarred by chippers and scrapers (someone once removed the ice in winter a tad too vigorously). I shall weep on the city’s shoulder, profess my love using the lyrics of old songs, not yet recorded by any of the ethno-bands, not yet given a new rendition by one of the ironic bards of today. I shall ride with no ticket until someone calls a ticket inspector. […]

Kamionek, authors: Marcin Wicha, Agnieszka Rayss, graphic design: Frycz i Wicha

Marcin Wicha (1972–2025) – a graphic designer, journalist, author of books for children and adults. He published, i.a.: Jak przestałem kochać design (2015), Rzeczy, których nie wyrzuciłem (2017, Witold Gombrowicz Literary Award, Polityka Passport, Nike Prize in Literature), Kierunek zwiedzania (2021, Andrzej Siemka Award), and lately: Nic drobniej nie będzie (2022) and Gościnne występy (2024). He was a resident of Grochów.

Agnieszka Rayss – a photographer, lecturer at the SWPS University in Warsaw, co-founder of the Sputnik Photos collective. Author of books on photography: American Dream (2010), Tu się zaczyna koniec miast (2015), Z zapisków kolekcjonera (2019) and Ostatnia rozmowa z akademikiem Sacharowem (2022).

KOLOFON  

curatorial team: Agnieszka Rayss, Marcin Wicha    

cooperation: Katarzyna Kuzko-Zwierz    

exhibition design: Maciej Siuda i Adrianna Gruszka     

graphic design: Tomasz Frycz   

production: Michał Tański    

translation: Antonia Lloyd-Jones,  Nataliya Rymska  

editing and proofreading: Urszula Drabińska   

poster design: Anna Światłowska, z wykorzystaniem fotografii Agnieszki Rayss, Tomasza Kaczora oraz ze zbiorów Archiwum Państwowego w Warszawie    

implementation: Ksenia Góreczna, Paweł Grochowalski, Piotr Lipiński, Katarzyna Radecka, Leszek Sokołowski, Tomasz Raubo  

conservation care: Piotr Kaczkiełło, Julia Kłosińska, Igor Nowak, Piotr Popławski, Adam Wrzosek   

digitization coordination: Mikołaj Kalina    

digitalization: Adrian Czechowski, Eliza Kowalska-Małek, Kamil Łuczak, Michał Matyjaszewski, Anna Sulej   

external loans: Janusz Kurczak    

internal loans: Tomasz Lewandowski, Małgorzata Oliwińska, Dorota Parszewska, Joanna Rykiel, Zuzanna Sieroszewska-Rolewicz, Filip Żelewski    

accessibility: Karolina Sawicka   

educational program: Aleksandra Karkowska-Rogińska, Małgorzata Kędzierzawska    

accompanying program: Ewelina Bartosik    

communications and marketing: Anna Dobrowolska-Balcerzak, Małgorzata Czajkowska, Agata Fijałkowska, Agata Fronczyk, Dagmara Jędrzejewska, Daniel Karwowski, Karina Dąbska, Anna Ładna, Aleksandra Migacz, Jowita Purzycka, Nela Sobieszczańska, Milena Soporowska, Martyna Sowińska-Pasek vel Paszkowska    

legal services: Ina Klimas    

persons and institutions providing objects or their images: Agnieszka Rayss, Andrzej Karczewski, Archiwum Państwowe w Warszawie, Biblioteka Narodowa, Centrum Rozwoju Przemysłów Kreatywnych, Kolektyw Zaczyn, Narodowe Muzeum Techniki, Sinfonia Varsovia  

Education partner of the Museum of Warsaw – PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna S.A.

www.gkpge.pl/en/