During Alcova 2026, Pani Jurek Studio presented an exhibition at the Baggio Military Hospital site, showcasing the multidimensional potential of ceramics and a wide spectrum of artistic practices.

 

The centerpiece of the exhibition was a ceramic composition inspired by monumental architectural ceramics of the modernist era in Eastern Bloc countries. Titled „A Place in the Future”, the work evokes a map or architectural plan, referring both to its site of presentation and to the shifting, unpredictable functions of architecture. The central point of the exhibition is a ceramic composition inspired by the tradition of monumental architectural ceramics of modernist Eastern Bloc countries. The work, titled “A Place in the Future,” evokes a map or architectural plan of an imagined space, while also functioning as a catalogue of forms and color possibilities within the POLA system from which it is composed (learn more about POLA system). Intense colors, relief surfaces, and shifting textures of glossy glazes and matte engobes change with light and the viewer’s movement, stimulating the senses while inviting associations with representational imagery. Layers of colored glaze disrupt the rational order of geometric divisions and the uniformity of the system, pointing to a tension between creative discipline and intuition, and a desire for freedom. Despite its precision and craftsmanship, there is something almost delirious within it, as if the foundation of the creative act were a vision of a future that never fully materializes. The exhibition is complemented by objects from the OP series, exploring optical phenomena and the relationships between color, light, and perception. The periscope-like OP lamps pay tribute to color and its capacity to transform and captivate. Some emit their own light, while others rely on reflected light, revealing the unique qualities of the ceramic material. The OP Wall system composed of rotating ceramic tiles and presented as an interactive artwork - extends the idea of Oskar Hansen’s Open Form, according to which a work should remain sensitive to context and a changing reality. Activated by touch, the composition is continuously transformed, generating ever-new configurations. The latest project in the series, presented here for the first time and developed in collaboration with the brand Splot, is the OP Kilim. In this piece, the OP Wall tile system becomes a generator of pattern. A single module shape, six colors, along with black and white, create variations of handwoven kilims.

 

All the objects presented in the exhibition are united by a principle of exploring the potential of a system, as well as by the sense of creative joy that emerges from this process.

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Co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland under the Creative Sectors Development programme of the  Creative Industries Institute.