What was the Exchange Gallery?

Małgorzata Potocka and Józef Robakowski will talk about the creation and activities of Galeria Wymiany (Exchange Gallery). This fully independent art gallery was founded by the artistic couple in 1978 in their private apartment at 7 Piłsudskiego Street (then Mickiewicza Street) in Łódź. It was an art forum—a place for exchanging ideas, artworks, and artistic publications. It never became a museum, as it had no such ambitions. In the words of Józef Robakowski, Galeria Wymiany was a "place of initiatives," where artistic prints and works were also presented, drawing visitors from Poland and around the world. A guest room awaited visitors, hosting overnight stays by the likes of Valie Export, Paul Sharits, Jiří Valoch, Orlan, and Stefania and Franciszek Themerson. Robakowski hung an exhibition on the apartment walls featuring small and "poor" papers published by artists in a few or several dozen copies, which no one paid attention to at the time. The artist's gesture was guided by the idea of respecting something that had not yet gained the status of art. The entire endeavor had no material aspect, as Galeria Wymiany was an anti-commercial initiative. It existed until 2022.