The State of Things 2026: Facing Uncertainty

What to expect

The exhibition brings together recent graduation projects in art and design by graduates of SWPS University in Warsaw, Kraków, and Wrocław, alongside work by graduates of Collegium Da Vinci in Poznań.

Viewed as a whole, this year’s projects reveal a recurring theme. In different ways, emerging designers are responding to uncertainty as an inherent part of a world in constant flux.

Three ways of responding to uncertainty

Despite the diverse approaches and design practices represented, the projects can be grouped into three broad themes, each reflecting a distinct response to uncertainty:

• Remember — memory and belonging
• React — critically examining reality and responding to it
• Reform — transforming reality and imagining possibilities for change

The exhibition captures a particular moment in time and the different ways young creatives are navigating its challenges. Through the themes, questions, and perspectives explored in the 2026 graduation projects, it offers a snapshot of the current state of affairs.

Remember

These projects explore memory, identity, and belonging. They ask where we come from and what shapes us—from our bodies and origins to the places we inhabit and the experiences we carry. They also consider what we choose to preserve, bring back into view, or reinterpret.

React

These projects examine the tensions and crises shaping our present and explore ways to respond to them. Addressing issues such as threats, inequality, and disinformation, they use design as a tool for critically engaging with the world around us.

Reform

This group brings together projects that imagine possible paths toward change. It includes solutions, tools, and scenarios that respond to current and future challenges, as well as explorations of new ways to build relationships, foster a sense of community, and live together in a changing world.

Practical information

Where: Voelkel Gallery, Aula Artis foyer, Collegium Da Vinci, ul. gen. T. Kutrzeby 10, Poznań, Poland

When: October 6, 2026–January 10, 2027

Opening: October 6, 2026, 12:30

Admission: Free

Curators and exhibition coordinators:: Marianna Czwojdrak i Zofia Nycz

Spatial design: MML architekci Lech Moczulski

Visual identity: Marianna Czwojdrak

Expert panel: Bartosz Choryan, dr Justyna Górowska, dr hab. Agnieszka Jacobson-Cielecka, dr hab. Michał Jakubowicz, Karolina Koziolek, Marta Kwiatek, dr hab. Magdalena Pińczyńska, dr Anna Syczewska, Arkadiusz Szwed, dr hab. Mariusz Wszołek

Patron: Voelkel Foundation

Organizers: SWPS University and Collegium Da Vinci

Featured designers

• Stefanila Denysenko
• Kosma Gaillard
• Julia Glinka
• Maryia Kalianchenka
• Antonina Klimont
• Aleksandra Kosarzycka
• Maja Kubacka
• Maja Kurasińska
• Wiktor Lingo
• Łukasz Machnowski
• Katarzyna Matosek
• Małgorzata Michlewska
• Kacper Nawrotniak
• Julia Niziołek
• Aleksandra Olszewska
• Zofia Rybińska
• Magdalena Sałaciak
• Jagna Sapała
• Sofia Sudakova
• Bartosz Sydow
• Oliwia Szymańska
• Ivan Umanets
• Mikita Zhyhala