BWA Wrocław

BWA Wrocław is a Wrocław cultural institution dedicated to contemporary art. It is not a single gallery but an organisation running several exhibition spaces scattered around the city, where it stages exhibitions, publishes books and magazines, and runs educational activities.

How the institution was founded

BWA's origins go back to 1 January 1952, when it was established as the Branch Office of the Central Bureau of Art Exhibitions (CBWA) in Warsaw. In 1962, after the decentralisation of the CBWA structure, the institution changed its name to the Bureau of Art Exhibitions in Wrocław. The institution is funded by the City of Wrocław.

Galleries run by BWA

Under the BWA Wrocław banner operate several separate galleries, each with a different profile. The oldest is Awangarda Gallery, showing contemporary art in a social and cultural context, though since 4 February 2019 it has remained closed for building renovation. During this renovation, since 2019, a substitute BWA gallery has been operating at Wrocław Główny, set up on the mezzanine of Wrocław Główny railway station.

SIC! Gallery is the only public gallery in Poland dedicated to artistic, studio and functional glass, also showing ceramics, drawing on the tradition of the Wrocław Academy of Fine Arts. Dizajn Gallery has for two decades focused on Polish design and the social critique of design, running curated exhibitions and educational workshops. Studio Gallery has operated since 1999 at Ruska 46a street, combining the function of an artist residency, an open studio and a meeting place with the character of a gallery.

Publishing and events

Since 2009 BWA has published "BIURO" magazine, dedicated to contemporary art, design, lifestyle, architecture and philosophy. The institution cooperates with the Academy of Fine Arts on graduate diploma exhibitions and organises the "Out of Sth" biennial of art in public space, showing works outside traditional exhibition halls, for example in the city's streets and squares.

Profile of the individual galleries

Each of the BWA galleries has a different profile. SIC! Gallery has for years focused on artistic, studio and functional glass as well as ceramics, drawing on the tradition of training glass designers at the Wrocław Academy of Fine Arts. Dizajn Gallery has for two decades run curated exhibitions and educational workshops dedicated to Polish design and the social critique of design. Studio Gallery on Ruska street combines the function of an artist residency and an open studio with an ongoing exhibition programme, while retaining the character of a gallery.

Practical information

• The institution has no single headquarters: the individual galleries are located at various points in Wrocław, including the mezzanine of Wrocław Główny station and Ruska street
• It is worth checking the addresses, opening hours and current programme of the individual galleries before a visit, as some spaces are temporarily closed for renovation
• Awangarda Gallery, the oldest of the BWA spaces, remains closed for building work at the time this description was written