Throughout September and October, Valencia hosts its annual Design Fest. The city-wide celebration builds on Valencia’s ongoing legacy as a UNESCO City of Design. It brings together local art galleries, cultural centres, and architecture institutions, running alongside the major Feria Hábitat València trade fair.
As the Guest Country of Honour, Poland presents Crafting Reality: In Search of Alternative Habitats. The exhibition takes place at Pasaje 94 from 12 September to 31 October as part of the festival’s Time + Matter programme. Curated by Dr. Alicja Głuszek, the showcase features 19 Polish craftspeople and studios. The selected works cover a wide range of physical disciplines, including ceramics, blown glass, textiles, cabinetmaking, metalwork, paper, and embroidery.
Exhibition and Accompanying Programme
The exhibition organizes the objects into three distinct thematic areas. We Are Earth looks at raw materials and sustainably sourced works. We Are Roots focuses on heritage techniques, such as traditional weaving and woodworking, applied to contemporary practice. We Are Paths provides a dedicated space for material experimentation and new technical processes.
To accompany the physical exhibition, Marisa Santamaría has curated a public programme designed to connect Polish and Spanish craft professionals. The schedule includes panel discussions with local practitioners like Clap Studio, Ana Illueca, and David Places Balsalobre, Head of Crafts of Catalonia for the Catalan Crafts Council in Barcelona, alongside the presentation of the Crafting Reality White Paper. The project is organised by Poland’s Creative Industries Institute (IPK) in collaboration with the Polish Cultural Institute in Madrid. The exhibition will travel to Matadero Madrid at the end of the year.