It is not finances, nor is it industry – it is culture, an area disdained by many, that acts as Berlin’s driving force. Favourable conditions – a low cost of living, easily accessible spaces for artistic expression and the air of freedom following the fall of Berlin Wall – attracted numerous independent artists to the city that had just been stitched up to one piece. Even though these particular conditions cannot be reproduced in Warsaw, it is precisely this spontaneous, self-sufficiently animated cultural life that has contributed to the gradual betterment of the quality of life in the Polish capital, and thereby improved the city’s public image.
Literature and media
We do believe that the word still stands strong, despite the prevailing visual culture; especially if the word resonates simultaneously in several languages. Literature holds a very special place in our project – it serves as a tool of the inter-city communication, as a commentary to the reality which surrounds us, and finally as a record of the zeitgeist. This may be the role of fiction, non-fiction, essays or reportages. We are far from promoting any particular genre – we give the floor to writers who refer to the motifs related to Berlin, Warsaw or in fact to any Polish-German clues.
Exhibition and art
We will keep you informed about the most exciting events on offer at the Warsaw and Berlin art scene, including most ambitious projects which are far beyond commercial circulation. We do not want to be limited by an atelier or gallery space; we are most interested in street art and various other activities, often volatile and eluding plain categorization.
Architecture and urban planning
Warsaw and Berlin urban tissues bear a significant imprint from the 1930s and 1940s. Both cities have been repeatedly rebuilt and reinvented. This kinship of common history prompts us to draw analogies, often perfunctory and fallacious. We will do our best to avoid falling into a trap of this analogous thinking and to assess the architecture of both cities with a keen and impartial eye
Television, cinema, film
Today, visual arts are a most common means to reach international public. It is also the most popular medium in which Poland and Germany communicate and inform each other on what issues preoccupy social awareness at any given moment. Polish cinema has recently been highly appreciated and awarded at the Berlinale; Polish and German filmmakers are working on joint projects. We will keep our Polish-German readers posted on what is worth seeing on both small and big screens, without putting up unwarranted borderlines.