The exhibitions in Academic Design Center

You are most welcome to visit the Academic Design Center (ACD) for exhibitions featuring student design work from all academic centers affiliated with the ACD.

Young Polish Designers: Care, Connect, Change is an event presenting a selection of 24 projects from eight public academies of fine arts. The premiere exhibitionis another project of the Academic Design Centre, following the presentation in Eindhoven, aimed at introducing Polish academic design to an international audience. The following universities participated in the project: Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, Władysław Strzemiński Academy of Art in Łódź, Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice, Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, Magdalena Abakanowicz University of the Arts in Poznań, Art Academy in Szczecin, Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, and Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław.

The time when we face pandemics, social and environmental problems, for young designers has also been a time of reflection on the new reality, a period of adopting an active attitude supported by the desire to use the tools available to them in order to change the surrounding world. The exhibition shows which topics and problems seem to be important for young designers and what actions they take to change the status quo.

The items presented in the exhibition are interdisciplinary. They demonstrate how diverse Polish design can be. All these works share a responsible social approach combined with high design skills. The works are innovative and technologically advanced. At the same time, they reveal traces of traditions, both local and related to the specializations of individual universities.

One of the themes taken up by the creators is the relationship between man and his body. The designers combine knowledge of health care, physiotherapy or psychology with their design skills. They show innovativeness and sensitivity to nonmedical aspects of use, such as the psychological comfort of the recipient. The designers also pay attention to the rituals associated with care and promote ecological solutions in this area.

Students look closely at society to capture its moods. While the world is full of polarizing opinions and divisions, they pay attention to interpersonal relations. Through designs, they strive to increase integration and break down barriers – whether they are intergenerational, disability-related, or stem from a lack of relationships due to the distance between family members. The young artists also draw attention to the role and future of man in a consumerist world.

Young designers take an active part in many civic activities. They strive to make space keep up with the changing needs of the inhabitants. On the other hand, with great sensitivity, they try to capture the character of places important to them. They encourage more frequent contact with nature, but also draw attention to the importance of the virtual environment.

It is worth noticing that today's students are highly aware of the coming climate change and are working to delay it. They promote building a relationship with nature which is based on respect and awareness. With their skills, they use science, technology and a creative outlook to do so. This results in projects showing new approaches to energy production and retention, burial or travel.

Curator of the exhibition: Izabela Bołoz