MAGDALENA ABAKANOWICZ. ARBOR

Katarzyna Napiórkowska Art Gallery
19/21/21A Old Town Market Square, Warsaw

“Art does not solve problems, but it forces us to become aware of them. It draws our attention to what is most human and most fragile in us – our connection with nature.”
— Magdalena Abakanowicz

The title inscription Arbor (Latin for tree) defines the conceptual axis of the exhibition at the Katarzyna Napiórkowska Art Gallery. The exhibition recalls one of the most visionary projects in Magdalena Abakanowicz’s oeuvre – the large-scale urban concept Bois de Nanterre from 1990. This design was created in response to an international competition for the extension of the Historical Axis of Paris (Grande Axe), initiated during the presidency of François Mitterrand. Abakanowicz’s groundbreaking vision was selected as one of the four winning concepts.

The artist’s proposal became a manifesto for arboreal architecture. It envisioned the construction of twelve energy self-sufficient, 80-meter-high architectural structures integrated with the biosphere. Entirely covered with vertical gardens, the buildings were intended to create an autonomous microclimate within the urban fabric, functioning as a living forest. Although this concept remained within the realm of utopian architecture in the 1990s, today – in an era of global climate crisis and the redefinition of urban spaces – it achieves the status of a pioneering ecological project, closely resonating with the modern micro-forests and biodiversity enclaves currently being developed in Paris.

The exhibition offers a unique study of this prophetic vision. Within the gallery space, we present original conceptual sketches, sculptures, prints, and paintings that reveal the artist’s profound dialogue with organic matter and her continuous search for synergy between humanity and nature.

The exhibition has been organized in cooperation with the Marta Magdalena Abakanowicz and Jan Kosmowski Foundation.

Previously presented in Brussels, the project has gained international recognition, becoming an official part of the New European Bauhaus Festival 2026 program in Brussels, as well as being included in the Old Town Birthday program in Warsaw.

Header photograph: from the archives of the Marta Magdalena Abakanowicz-Kosmowska and Jan Kosmowski Foundation.