At Collect 2026, 'Metamorphosis - Craft from Poland' established itself as a definitive highlight of this year's fair, further strengthening Poland's creative presence on the international stage with a showcase of radical material experimentation. The exhibition, marking Poland's debut at Collect art fair welcomed thousands of visitors including international collectors, museum curators, and art and design enthusiasts, to experience the dialogue between tradition and contemporary craft.

Hosted by the Creative Industries Institute Poland (IPK) and presented in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute in London and On&On Designs, the exhibition offered a serene yet powerful landscape presenting the work of nine artists on a global platform. The installation, curated by Corinne Julius and designed by architects Miśka Miller-Lovegrove and Roman Lovegrove, offered a breadth of creativity that challenged preconceived notions of Poland, displaying a culture that is intellectually rigorous and aesthetically profound.

'Metamorphosis - Craft from Poland' celebrated the creative ingenuity and material exploration of each of the nine exhibiting artists. 

• Alicja Patanowska presented a limited-edition series of collectible, handmade ceramic tiles derived from her acclaimed 'Ripple Effect' installation (V&A 2025), exploring the intersections of visual art and social ecology.
• Monika Patuszyńska featured pieces from her 'Study of Deformation' and 'From the Bastards' series, exploring the life of ceramics through intentional cracks, fractures, and reconstructed forms that celebrate the accidental.
• GRÔPK-Marcin Kuberna revealed coiled sculptural works in the form of raw, unglazed textured stoneware that connects hand and earth.
• Anna Bera's organic wooden sculptures with mirrored surfaces explored sensory perception with a joyful playfulness.
• Maciej Gąsienica Giewont captured the tension of nature through 'paper-thin' turned green-wood vessels, shaped by moisture and time to allow the natural grain to dictate their fluid forms.
• Katarzyna Krej's delicate wall-mounted glass installations created a constellation of reflection and colour animated by light and shadow.
• Marcin Rusak presented his signature translucent resin works embedded with real preserved flowers, capturing a permanent state of decaying botanical beauty.
• Agata Marchlewicz displayed bold contemporary paper cut-outs that reinterpret the Polish Wycinanki tradition through a modern graphic lens, scaled to large-format works.
• Formsophy showcased their new 'Flor' and 'Floa' consoles, cast in the open using liquid-aluminium with embedded stone, each piece capturing the raw energy of the elements.

Reflections on the Exhibition

Corinne Julius, Curator, notes: 'Visitors were intrigued and delighted by the works on display. Most had had no previous notion of the amazing talents that Polish artists use in such innovative ways. Visitors particularly enjoyed how they subverted traditional materials and techniques to create contemporary pieces underpinned by intellectual rigour and powerful narratives.'

TF Chan, Fair Director of Collect, adds: '''Metamorphosis: Craft from Poland' not only offered an excellent showcase of contemporary Polish creativity to a London-based audience, it also offered excellent visibility for Collect art fair in Poland, reaffirming our belief in contemporary craft and design as instruments of diplomacy. We hope this is the first of many collaborations with the Creative Industries Institute, Polish Cultural Institute and On&On Designs.'

Aleksandra Szymańska, Director of the Creative Industries Institute Poland (IPK), says: “This exhibition would not have been possible without the extraordinary commitment, imagination and courage of our artists. I am deeply grateful to each of them for trusting us with their work and for representing Polish craft at the highest level, with such a deep respect for materials and their immense talents. We are equally thankful to TF Chan and the Collect team, our partners, curator, design team, whose collaboration allowed us to create a coherent and powerful narrative'.

Anka Simone, co-founder of On&On Designs, mentioned: “We were encouraged by the response from Collect visitors, who praised the conceptual strength of the works and the engaging presentation. For us, this marks another milestone in our strategy to present contemporary Poland through creativity, craftsmanship and innovation, in a dialogue with our British partners.”

Following the energetic momentum of the UK/Poland Season 2025, 'Metamorphosis - Craft from Poland' has further solidified a lasting impression of Polish creativity as modern, ambitious, and internationally fluent, cementing the country's position as a vibrant hub for contemporary design, creativity and innovation.

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