“Regeneration”: “Beneath the Soft Ground, Hard Ground” installation by Alicja Biała and presentation of Polish design at the headquarters of the Council of the European Union

Regeneration is a cohesive theme that brings together this presentation of contemporary Polish art and design in the buildings of the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament in honour of Poland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union. Full of positive energy and geared toward the future, the presentation speaks to the need to care for our shared resources, to build resilience, practice interpersonal and inter-species solidarity, and foster a sense of security and comfort. It includes works by Polish artists, often of the youngest generation, boldly entering the international art and design scene.

Their works show Poland’s fresh and modern face, which in 2025 returns to the Presidency of the European Union as an essential player co-determining its future and security.

Curated by: Aleksandra Kędziorek

“Beneath the Soft Ground, Hard Ground” installation by Alicja Biała at the headquarters of the Council of the European Union (Europa Building, Brussels)

Young Polish artist Alicja Biała boldly takes on the main forum of the Europa building with an installation created using one of the oldest graphic techniques, etching, in a modern and relevant setting. On twelve large brass panels, Biała shows Central European plants with regenerative properties, whose vegetation cycles follow the months of the year. Outlines of human figures appear in the garden they create. The composition becomes a metaphor for harmony and balance in the world, and its mirrored surfaces make each viewer and passer-by reflected in it feel like a part of this magical regenerative garden.

Alicja Biała (b. 1993) is a multidisciplinary and multimedia artist based between Poland, the Netherlands, and the UK, who creates everything from large-scale murals and sculptures through architectural and lighting installations to drawings and etchings. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and institutions internationally, including The Roberts Institute of Art and Liverpool Biennial (UK), the Museum of Contemporary Art Krakow (PL), and the Galerie Hussenot (FR). She graduated from The Royal Drawing School and holds an MA from The Royal College of Art in London (UK).

A presentation of Polish design, graphic design and illustration

Interior design: Katarzyna Baumiller

Polish architect Katarzyna Baumiller designed the spaces as a presentation of Polish design, graphic design and illustration in the headquarters of the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament (Interior design: Katarzyna Baumiller, the Justus Lipsius and Europa buildings, the European Parliament building, Brussels). She is an architect, a graduate of the Faculty of Architecture at the Warsaw University of Technology, co-founder of the BaumillerKossowska studio, and currently the owner of Katarzyna Baumiller Studio. She has created and co-created countless interior design projects, always pinpointing a space’s distinctive character and creating unique concepts for each specific space, many of which have been presented in the press in Poland and abroad. In 2024, she was included in Architectural Digest Poland magazine’s AD100 list.

Featured brands and designers:

Agnieszka Bar, Bluba Studio (Kajetan Luteracki), Comforty (Maja Ganszyniec), Dérive, The Good Living & Co., Hasik Design Studio, Malwina Konopacka, MOST (Alicja Bielawska, Barbara Janczak, Antonina Kiliś, Anna Libera, Ana Vostruchovaitė), Mozi Studio (Monika Gradzik), NODI Studio,  NODI x Witka Studio, Noti (Tomasz Augustyniak, Nikodem Szpunar), NÓW. Nowe Rzemiosło (Anna Bera, Jakub Święcicki), Pani Jurek, Rafa Ceramic (Ewa Baraniewska), SALAK Studio, Mati Sipiora, Siup Studio, SPLOT (Edgar Bąk, Dominika Krogulska-Czekalska, Zofia Strumiłło-Sukiennik), Studio Szpunar (Kamila Szpunar), Magdalena Szmydtke, Arkadiusz Szwed, ULTRAlight, ULUM (Małgorzata Schulz), Vivid Colors Studio (Paweł Zajiczek), and VZÓR (Roman Modzelewski).

Artwork and posters (courtesy of wall-being) by:

Kaja Gadomska, Magdalena Komar, Alicja Patanowska, Małgorzata Szymankiewicz; Hekla Studio (Monika Proniewska, Paulina Ufnal), Marcelina Jarnuszkiewicz, Ada Jarzębowska, Olga Szczechowska, Ola Szpunar, and Zoe (Małgorzata Gurowska, Agata Szydłowska).