19 November 2025 – 5 July 2026
10 PLN / 8 PLN, Thursday 1 PLN

Collections. Being Among Things

A museum can be a place where, amidst the multitude of other people’s memorabilia, we discover our own intimate, inner landscapes.

The storage rooms of the Praga Museum of Warsaw are filled with inconspicuous objects, often removed from the daily routines of Praga’s residents, whom they accompanied in unnoticed and highly diverse ways.

The multitude of meanings and styles of being among things create an atmosphere that usually remains hidden—what Susan M. Pearce calls

“the silent language of culture.”

In the exhibition space, we follow the story of siblings whose everyday lives unfold among objects. Some accompany routine activities, while others—noticed years later—emerge from hiding to reprise their roles. The protagonists were inspired by the identities of the Praga Museum of Warsaw’s benefactors.

The exhibition Collections: Being Among Things presents objects from the museum collection, private collections, and the personal spaces of the exhibition curators.

During a lengthy workshop process, we developed content with a group of participants that offered personal interpretations of the objects. These micro-stories allow us to create a narrative about Praga from the vantage of its residents. The museum creates a space where diverse voices can be heard, allowing these personal and local threads to intertwine with global themes, and the city’s history with the present.

A community of local collectors emerged around the project, willing to share their special relationship with objects from their private collections with a wider audience. The vibrant participatory process also became a moment of reflection for the museum staff themselves, providing an opportunity to take a step back and look at the collections built over the years and shed light on the complex processes taking place within the institution.

Collections: Being Among Things raises the question of the meaning of creating a collection: both personal and museum-wide.

KOLOFON

curatorial team: Anna Marcinkowska, Emilia Siehień, Leon Siehień, Grzegorz Siehień, Klara Obrębska, Natalia Obrębska, Elżbieta Siwczak, Matylda Siwczak, Konrad Siwczak, Emilia Szynkiewicz, Elwira Szynkiewicz, Małgorzata Czekajło

collectors involved in the project: Igor Strojecki, Julek, Ula Wysocka, Anna Kośmider, Katarzyna Jasiołek, Anna Nurzyńska, Zosia Szajdziuk, Michał Chojecki, Maciej Sieńczyk, Marek Rykiel, Janek Rygiel

participatory process coordination: Małgorzata Czekajło

exhibition design: Studio Iskry (Maria Gajewska, Michał Niedośpiał)

production: Marta Galewska, Aleksandra Złotowska

illustration design: Paweł Mildner

poster and visual identification design using Paweł Mildner’s illustrations: Małgorzata Czekajło

graphic design: Nicola Cholewa

music in exhibition space: Paweł Romańczuk

exhibition films: Anna Ryń, Grzegorz Hospod

exhibition sound: Mieszko Mahboob

settings and technical implementation: Michał Bogumił, Zofia Cur, Ksenia Góreczna, Paweł Grochowalski, Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, Piotr Lipiński, Artur Miniewicz, Katarzyna Radecka, Tomasz Raubo, Leszek Sokołowski, Mariusz Stawski, Filip Wielechowski-Olszak, Adam Wrzosek

archaeological consultation: Ewelina Więcek, Ryszard Cędrowski

content consultation: Katarzyna Kuzko-Zwierz, Marta Wójcicka

editing and proofreading: Katarzyna Głowińska

translation: Marcin Wawrzyńczak

educational program: Aleksandra Karkowska-Rogińska, Małgorzata Kędzierzawska

accompanying public program: Małgorzata Czekajło

communications: Anna Dobrowolska-Balcerzak, Olga Gaertner, Anna Ładna, Magdalena Nazimek, Nela Sobieszczańska, Milena Soporowska, Martyna Sowińska

marketing: Małgorzata Czajkowska, Dagmara Jędrzejewska, Agata Fronczyk, Daniel Karwowski, Jowita Purzycka, Agata Fijałkowska

funding coordination: Monika Mazurek, Marzena Michałek-Dąbrowska

external loans: Janusz Kurczak

internal loans: Aleksandra Lis, Małgorzata Oliwińska, Filip Żelewski, Zuzanna Sieroszewska-Rolewicz

digitalization coordination: Mikołaj Kalina

digitalization: Adrian Czechowski, Michał Matyjaszewski, Anna Sulej; postprodukcja: Eliza Kowalska-Małek

conservation care: Piotr Popławski, Piotr Kaczkiełło, Karolina Nowicka, Anna Konopko, Adam Wrzosek