“Crossroads of Cultures”: Krakow and Ivano-Frankivsk - sum up 18.02.2026
The International Residency “Crossroads of Cultures,” held from 16 January to 8 February 2026, brought together artists, writers= and researchers from Ukraine and Poland in a joint exploration of the intertwined histories of Kraków and Ivano-Frankivsk (formerly Stanisławów). The programme was implemented as part of the “Tekstura” reading promotion initiative of Teple Misto, with the support of the European Union through the House of Europe programme, in cooperation with the Villa Decius Institute of Culture and the Centre for Polish Culture and European Dialogue.
The residency focused on examining the “quieter” layers of urban history — less present in public debate, yet fundamental to shaping a shared European memory — and on creatively transforming them into essayistic, reportage, and multimedia works. The programme consisted of an online introductory week, a week of research in Kraków, and two weeks of intensive archival and public activities in Ivano-Frankivsk.
The Kraków stage of the residency provided participants with an opportunity to explore Ukrainian cultural presence and to trace historical parallels between the two cities. The programme included visits to academic and cultural institutions, museum collections, and archives, as well as meetings with scholars and experts working on themes of memory, heritage, and Polish–Ukrainian relations.
Through lecture given by dr Kamil Ruszała, a historian from the Institute of History of the Jagiellonian University, and study visits, residents examined the multilayered character of Kraków as a space shaped by diverse influences. Shared discussions created a framework for comparative reflection, allowing participants to situate their individual research projects within a broader historical and cultural context.
By the end of the residency, the residents took part in a curatorial visit of the exhibition at Galeria Podbrzezie, Instytut Sztuki i Designu Uniwersytetu Komisji Edukacji Narodowej w Krakowie, presenting works by Daria Alyoshkina – a world-renowned artist who revolutionized the traditional Ukrainian art of vytynanka (paper cutting). The curatorial visit was led by Mariia Varlyginia, the co-curator of the exhibition and resident of the program.
The two weeks in Ivano-Frankivsk centred on archival research and community engagement. Residents worked at the State Archive of the Ivano-Frankivsk Region, analysing documents related to the interwar period, the Holocaust, and the post-war transformations that profoundly altered the city’s social and cultural landscape.
The programme included lectures on the multicultural character of historical Stanisławów and meetings with local researchers and writers, among them Yurii Andrukhovych and Taras Prokhasko. These encounters provided an important contemporary perspective on questions of memory, borderlands, and Central European identity.
In addition to archival work, the residency featured shared dinners, workshops, presentations, and visits to institutions engaged with themes of heritage and multiculturalism. The intensive exchange between participants and local communities formed a key dimension of the programme, reinforcing dialogue across disciplines and national contexts.
Projects and Final Exhibition
The works developed during the residency addressed themes such as urban memory, migration, Polish–Ukrainian relations, and the historical dynamics of borderland regions. Essays, reportage texts, and multimedia projects emerged from archival research, fieldwork, and conversations held in both cities.
The residency concluded with a multimedia exhibition at the Centre for Polish Culture and European Dialogue in Ivano-Frankivsk. The exhibition presented texts, audio materials, and visual elements created during the programme. Bilingual in form, it combines written narratives with recorded sound and constitutes the first tangible and publicly accessible outcome of the project.
The International Residency “Crossroads of Cultures” forms part of a broader framework of Polish–Ukrainian cultural cooperation. By linking archival research, literary reflection, and public presentation, the initiative created a platform for renewed dialogue on shared history and its contemporary meanings, strengthening long-term collaboration between partner institutions and creative communities in both countries.
The Kraków stage of the residency provided participants with an opportunity to explore Ukrainian cultural presence and to trace historical parallels between the two cities. The programme included visits to academic and cultural institutions, museum collections, and archives, as well as meetings with scholars and experts working on themes of memory, heritage, and Polish–Ukrainian relations.
Through lecture given by dr Kamil Ruszała, a historian from the Institute of History of the Jagiellonian University, and study visits, residents examined the multilayered character of Kraków as a space shaped by diverse influences. Shared discussions created a framework for comparative reflection, allowing participants to situate their individual research projects within a broader historical and cultural context.
By the end of the residency, the residents took part in a curatorial visit of the exhibition at Galeria Podbrzezie, Instytut Sztuki i Designu Uniwersytetu Komisji Edukacji Narodowej w Krakowie, presenting works by Daria Alyoshkina – a world-renowned artist who revolutionized the traditional Ukrainian art of vytynanka (paper cutting). The curatorial visit was led by Mariia Varlyginia, the co-curator of the exhibition and resident of the program.
The two weeks in Ivano-Frankivsk centred on archival research and community engagement. Residents worked at the State Archive of the Ivano-Frankivsk Region, analysing documents related to the interwar period, the Holocaust, and the post-war transformations that profoundly altered the city’s social and cultural landscape.
The programme included lectures on the multicultural character of historical Stanisławów and meetings with local researchers and writers, among them Yurii Andrukhovych and Taras Prokhasko. These encounters provided an important contemporary perspective on questions of memory, borderlands, and Central European identity.
In addition to archival work, the residency featured shared dinners, workshops, presentations, and visits to institutions engaged with themes of heritage and multiculturalism. The intensive exchange between participants and local communities formed a key dimension of the programme, reinforcing dialogue across disciplines and national contexts.
Projects and Final Exhibition
The works developed during the residency addressed themes such as urban memory, migration, Polish–Ukrainian relations, and the historical dynamics of borderland regions. Essays, reportage texts, and multimedia projects emerged from archival research, fieldwork, and conversations held in both cities.
The residency concluded with a multimedia exhibition at the Centre for Polish Culture and European Dialogue in Ivano-Frankivsk. The exhibition presented texts, audio materials, and visual elements created during the programme. Bilingual in form, it combines written narratives with recorded sound and constitutes the first tangible and publicly accessible outcome of the project.
The International Residency “Crossroads of Cultures” forms part of a broader framework of Polish–Ukrainian cultural cooperation. By linking archival research, literary reflection, and public presentation, the initiative created a platform for renewed dialogue on shared history and its contemporary meanings, strengthening long-term collaboration between partner institutions and creative communities in both countries.