The Łaźnia Centre for Contemporary Art was one of the first public cultural institutions established in Poland after the transformations of 1989.
It began as an initiative by local independent artists opposed to traditional models of art. Their only chance to realize their projects was to create their own art space – one free from censorship, prejudices, stereotypes and inhibitions. An old and dilapidated former public bathhouse on Jaskółcza street first opened in 1908, turned out to be an ideal space for showing art. In response to a grassroots initiative by artists, in 1998 the Gdańsk City Council designated it a municipal cultural institution: the Łaźnia Centre for Contemporary Art.
The Łaźnia Centre for Contemporary Art is guided by its mission of showing and promoting contemporary art as a means of expressing universal values, and an element of world cultural heritage. The centre does so by showing the latest developments in contemporary art, showing the process of change that art is undergoing, engaging cultural and social phenomena taking place around the world, and educating the public about these issues by organising of exhibitions, artistic exchanges, innovative educational programmes, academic conferences, lectures, concerts and film screenings.
The Łaźnia Centre for Contemporary Art has organised numerous concerts, film presentations, meetings and panel discussions. In response to the great need for these types of events, in 2012, an affiliate in Nowy Port – Łaźnia 2 Centre for Contemporary Art – Centre for Art Education was opened. The two institutions form an integrated space for artistic activities that extends from Lower Town to Nowy Port.
Łaźnia 1 CCA and Łaźnia 2 CCA - CAE are much more than just centres for contemporary art. Its branches in Lower Town and Nowy Port perform an important artistic and cultural function throughout Poland, and in terms of revitalization and education efforts aimed at deprived neighbourhoods in Gdańsk.
Phone: (+48-58) 320 29 76, 305 40 50
WWW:
www.laznia.pl E-mail:
office@laznia.pl
Łaźnia 2 Centre for Art Education
ul. Strajku Dokerów 5, Gdańsk - Nowy Port, Poland
