13 March – 3 August 2025
Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat: 11AM – 7PM, Thu 11AM – 8PM, Sun 11AM – 6PM
1 PLN

UNDERGROUND

Observation of Life Beneath the Surface of the Earth. Jarosław Kozakiewicz’s Exhibition at Rynek 30 Gallery.

In his interdisciplinary project UNDERGROUND, Jarosław Kozakiewicz explores the possibilities of observing life that unfolds beneath the surface of the Earth. He presents the concept of an observatory in the form of a sculptural architectural model, accompanied by drawings inspired by natural processes occurring in soil, as well as microscopic photographs taken by Karl Ritz, professor of soil biology at the University of Nottingham. The exhibition’s soundscape was produced by the artists from the PEŁNIA Collective.

For three decades, Jarosław Kozakiewicz has been working at the intersection of art, science and architecture. In UNDERGROUND, he combines artistic and design expertise with the latest scientific research. In the exhibition at the Rynek 30 Gallery, the artist presents a conceptual design project of an observatory of life within the soil. The structure of the building—shown as a sculptural model—is inspired by organic forms and draws, among other things, on the architecture of the Hartig net. This peculiar, labyrinthine structure enables mycorrhiza—the symbiotic relationship between plants and fungi, and their mutual communication.

Kozakiewicz reverses the concept of the astronomical observatory, directing our gaze downwards—into the depths, into darkness—where as much as one quarter of all earthly species dwell. A single teaspoon of garden soil may contain up to 10,000 species of bacteria and fungi—millions of individual organisms. Life on the surface would not be possible without this teeming, pulsating mass. Jarosław Kozakiewicz’s aim is not to construct the observatory itself, but to popularise the latest scientific knowledge about forest ecosystems and soil biology—and, through that, to foster greater ecological awareness.

Jarosław Kozakiewicz’s UNDERGROUND project takes on a new expressive form at the Rynek 30 Gallery through the soundscape and performance created by the PEŁNIA Collective (Aleksandra Chciuk, Joanna Dreczka, Natalia Kędzierska, and Alicja Pangowska). ELEKTROGLEBA translates the concept of mycorrhiza—the symbiosis and communication between plants and fungi in the soil—into the language of sound. By merging four distinct sound environments, the members of PEŁNIA explore whether humans, nature, and human-made worlds can enter a state of coexistence, and whether a ‘sonic mycorrhiza’ is indeed possible.

Jarosław Kozakiewicz is an artist whose work lies at the intersection of sculpture, science, and architecture. At the heart of his nearly three-decade-long artistic practice is a constant focus on the human body. The artist connects the body with the surrounding world through sculptures, environmental interventions, architectural diagrams, and landscape design projects carried out in Poland and across Europe.

His artistic and architectural projects draw on an exceptionally wide range of inspirations, including genetics, physics, astronomy, contemporary ecological thought, and ancient cosmology. Eschewing the sense of certainty traditionally offered by science, Kozakiewicz invites the viewer into a poetic exploration of the nature of embodied existence.

The artist’s explorations have resulted in a number of utopian and critical projects in the fields of architecture and land art. Some have been recognised in prestigious architectural competitions—Kozakiewicz was granted an honourable mention in the 2004 competition for the Znaki Czasu Centre for Contemporary Art in Toruń. In 2005, Kozakiewicz’s design won the international competition for the Park of Reconciliation near the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum, and in 2007, Project Mars was completed—a large-scale landscape transformation of a former lignite mine near Lake Bärwalde in Germany. The work took the form of earth embankments shaped into a massive human ear. Other projects include often utopian proposals for ecological or symbolic solutions in urban planning (Transfer, 2006) and architecture (Oxygen Towers, 2005). In 2006, Kozakiewicz represented Poland at the 10th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale.

KOLOFON

Artist: Jarosław Kozakiewicz

Curators: Dorota Stolarska-Kultys, Zofia Rojek

Sound: Kolektyw Pełnia (Aleksandra Chciuk, Joanna Dreczka, Natalia Kędzierska, Alicja Pangowska)

Text: Zofia Machnicka

Expert supervision: Prof. Karl Ritz, Prof. Dorota Hilszczańska

Exhibition cooperation: Emilia Bobryk, Maciej Nowak-Buczyński

Production: Monika Mazurek

Translation: Marcin Wawrzyńczak

Graphic design: Fontarte Studio

Typographic system: Anna Światłowska

Design of poster and graphic materials: Anna Bieńkowska on the basis of Jarosław Kozakiewicz’s drawing

Editor and proofreading: Katarzyna Głowińska (Lingventa)

Implementation: Ksenia Góreczna, Paweł Grochowalski, Krzysztof Hernik, Piotr Lipiński, Katarzyna Radecka, Adam Rogowski, Filip Wielechowski-Olszak

Architectural models: Monkeyfab

External loans: Janusz Kurczak

Legal advice: Ina Klimas

Communications and marketing: Melissa Czaplicka, Karina Dąbska, Anna Dobrowolska-Balcerzak, Agata Fijałkowska, Anna Ładna, Aleksandra Migacz

Accompanying programme: Dorota Stolarska-Kultys

Project carried out as part of a research assignment at the Faculty of Design of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw.

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

www.gkpge.pl/en/