The Arsenal Gallery was founded in Białystok in 1965 as one of the Art Exhibition Halls (Biuro Wystaw Artystycznych). Currently it is a municipal gallery funded by Bialystok City Council. Arsenal Gallery is considered to be one of the best galleries in Poland (as ranked by Polityka magazine).
Arsenal is located in a historic building in the centre of Bialystok near Branicki Palace, the city’s most impressive historic structure. The Palace was designed by outstanding baroque architects, Jan Henryk Klemm, Jan Zygmunt Dejbel, Jakub Fontana. The form of the palace refers to the grand French architectural projects. A new space is to be acquired in an old power station which, after its refurbishment, will become Arsenal’s second space which will present a projection room, a studio space and a regular exhibition program of 1–2 shows per year.
The Gallery carries out a solid and consistent exhibition program, presenting and promoting the most modern art in many different mediums, including painting, film, video, sculpture, installation, and performance.
The Gallery presents over 20 exhibitions annually, which include individual shows, presentations focusing on a particular issue, and shows of outstanding artists from Poland and abroad. It also promotes Polish art by organizing exhibitions internationally.
Arsenal Gallery has been collecting works of art from the outset. The two collections include three trends, Realism, Metaphor, Geometry (1965–1985), as well as Collection II (1990–2006), which is continued in cooperation with PTZSP as part of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage’s project “Signs of Time”. Collection II is considered to be one of the most representative collections of contemporary art in Poland. In this collection, orientated towards art from post-communist countries, one can find the works by artists such as; Pawel Althamer, Katarzyna Kozyra, Miroslaw Balka, Wilhelm Sasnal, Deimantas Narkevicius, Atilla Corge, Kamera Skura, Odilla Donald Odita and Monika Sosnowska. Works from the Arsenal Gallery collection were presented in Ormeo Baths Gallery in Belfast, White Box in New York, Muzeum Nationale de Arta Contemporana in Bucharest and many others.
Arsenal Gallery presents approximately 20 exhibitions each year.
Most outstanding projects in recent years:
“Minimal Differences”, an exhibition of art Central and Eastern European countries at White Box, New York.
“Energy Class B” at Ormeau Baths Gallery.
“Place in heart” at Arsenal Gallery in Bialystok and Emil Filla Gallery in Usti nad Labem.
“Good night and Bad Luck” at Arsenal Gallery, Bialystok, Poland and at Artist’s House (Tel Aviv, Israel).
“Polka Palace” at the Old Power Station Bialystok; Arsenal Festival Performance.
Parallel to the exhibition schedule, the Gallery carries out a public program comprised of meetings with authors, book promotions, symposia, and lectures.
Arsenal Gallery’s educational program includes workshops for children, youth and students, as well as special training courses for art teachers.
Parallel to the exhibition schedule, the Gallery carries out a multilevel educational program: it organizes meetings with authors, book promotions, symposia, lectures, (once a month) workshops for children, youth and students, family workshops, activities with refugee children from Chechnya and Georgia (a few times a week), as well as special training courses for art teachers.
Arsenal’s separate space, ‘Arsenal Children’s Playground’, is intended for educational activities, led by invited artists. Video works by Jacek Malinowski and Anna Konik were produced on the basis of the material produced during these activities.
The gallery’s exhibition area exceeds 500 m2 and consists of three separate saloons. Projects are also realized in public space. Arsenal Gallery has an educational space of 120 m2.
