On Thursday, 29 October 2026, at 19:00, the photography exhibition “Topniejąca rzeczywistość” (“Melting Reality”) opens at Stara Galeria ZPAF in Warsaw. Admission is free, and the exhibition runs until 3 January 2027.
For a group interested in photography and contemporary art, it’s a ready-made evening plan: meet at the opening at Plac Zamkowy 8, see the work and compare impressions afterwards. The exhibition’s central theme offers a starting point for conversation: our trust in images and the ways they represent reality.
What’s on show at Stara Galeria ZPAF
The group exhibition features teaching staff from Katedra Obrazu Fotograficznego Wydziału Mediów at Warsaw’s Akademia Sztuk Pięknych, alongside invited artists. It is curated by Andrzej Zygmuntowicz.
The curatorial text connects the exhibition’s title to a sense of reality as unstable and elusive. The artists explore different subjects and use a range of artistic tools to address contemporary life, which we often experience through information channels rather than directly.
The themes include the reliability of information and images, the relationship between those in power and citizens, globalisation, cultural differences and personal freedom. There are several ways into the exhibition: you might focus on how the artists work with images, or on the picture of society their work presents.
What to talk about afterwards
Start with something simple: each person picks a work they felt inclined to believe and explains what inspired that trust. Then compare how the way something is presented shapes your perception, and where the depicted event ends and its interpretation begins.
Cultural differences offer another topic to explore together. Compare which images spark curiosity, which cause unease and how much your reactions overlap. There’s no need to agree: it’s more interesting to discuss specific works and what led to your different impressions.
Mates is an iPhone app for meeting people through shared interests in Warsaw, preparing to launch on the App Store; you can sign up for early access on the website.
When and where to go
Opening: 29 October, at 19:00.
Where: Stara Galeria ZPAF, Plac Zamkowy 8, Warszawa.
Admission: free.
The exhibition remains at the gallery until 3 January 2027.
Sources
- Grupowa wystawa dydaktyków warszawskiej ASP w Starej Galerii ZPAF — Związek Polskich Artystów Fotografików
- Topniejąca rzeczywistość — Foto-info, 25.10.2026