Textiles that we inherit

We invite you to the finalization of the exhibition “Spaces of Memory and Imagination” by Kristina Čepkenović Karlsen

Textiles that we inherit

October 8, 2026, 5:00 p.m.

Ludwik Zamenhof Center, 19 Warszawska Street

free admission

hosted by Katarzyna Niziołek

We are interested in textile memories and the memory of Białystok people. We treat the exhibition “Spaces of Memory and Imagination” as a starting point for a meeting around the past: possessive capes handed down from generation to generation, knitted sweaters, crocheted napkins, self-sewn clothes, past and returning fashions and many other references.

We go back to the personal history and history of Białystok — in the 19th century known as the “Manchester of the North”, where also during the PRL period the textile industry developed dynamically (the production plants of Fasta, Birun, Serzhan, Pasmant operated). The history of many Bialystok families is intertwined with these factories. Today, new workshops and weaving groups are being created in the city, which continue the regional, multicultural traditions, among others seepak, radiuszka or double-warp fabric.

What, in this process of intergenerational transmission, do we inherit from our mothers and grandmothers? What will we do with the “dowry” given to us?

Shortly before the closing of the exhibition, we invite you to the first meeting in the memorial circle and a “walk with” the textile works of Kristina C. Karlsen. “Spacer-z” is a technique of creatively following not so much the artist as her work, entering into a dialogue with him, drawing inspiration and developing individual author's ideas. The meeting space can be a technique, a theme, or a similarity of experiences.

We want to form a group that in the coming months will work on its own textile projects around the theme of memory, heritage, dowry, traditions and intergenerational relations.

Take with you memories and textile memorabilia that demand storytelling or creative processing. During the meeting, we will try to experience the exhibition again, share textile memories, tell about the souvenirs brought and plan the next.