Major exhibition programme explores shared UK-Poland histories this autumn

Remember Respond Resist, an innovative series of exhibitions that explore shared histories, themes and experiences connecting Poland and the UK, examines how we react to instability and change through the lens of art and history from World War II to the present day.

Born from collaborative dialogue with curators at the Centre for Contemporary Art Łaźnia (CCA Łaźnia) in Gdańsk, the exhibition considers what we remember from the past, how we respond to instability, and where we find resilience and hope in an ever-changing world. The programme explores key themes of memory, conflict and activism through distinct but interconnected exhibitions.

In The Box’s North Gallery, the exhibition showcases work by 21 internationally acclaimed artists from the British Council collection, including Henry Moore, Hew Locke, Simon Norfolk, Lubaina Himid, David Shrigley and Andrzej Jackowski. The selected works include sculpture, textiles, taxidermy, painting, drawing and collage.

The opening work is Andrzej Jackowski's In My Father's House (1981), which depicts the home he shared for the first 11 years of his life with his Polish-born parents in a refugee camp on the English/Welsh border. It captures the personal histories of resistance and response of Polish migrants who settled in the UK, after playing a significant role fighting Nazi aggression and British post-war reconstruction.

The artworks that follow are organised around the programme's three core themes:

Remember explores memory and conflict through works including Henry Moore's haunting wartime watercolours Row of Sleepers (1941) and Brown Tube Shelter (1940), depicting people sheltering in London's tube stations during World War II, alongside Simon Norfolk's evocative 2011 images of war-damaged buildings in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Respond examines our reactions to threats as society and individuals through works including Fiona Banner's Chinnock Drawing (1995), part of her fascination with military aircraft; Mona Hatoum's piercing war commentary Over My Dead Body (1998-2002); and Lubaina Himid's painting Have Courage in the Crisis and Set Yourself Free (2016).

Resist explores direct opposition to challenging present-day realities through forms of protest with works including Hew Locke's Burke (2006), responding to British Imperial history; Goshka Macuga's environmental protest tapestry Make Tofu Not War (2018); and David Shrigley's thought-provoking taxidermy work Ostrich (2009).

The programme also features work by two Royal Academicians whose art provides windows into the social and political worlds of the UK and Poland.

Grayson Perry's The Vanity of Small Differences (2012) forms a central part of the programme at both The Box and CCA Łaźnia. These acclaimed tapestries explore British fascination with taste and class through the fictional life story of Tim Rakewell. Inspired by William Hogarth's 'A Rake's Progress', they illustrate social mobility and aesthetic tastes while acting as both a response to and resistance against the British class system.

Goshka Macuga, a Polish-born artist who has lived and worked in the UK since 1989, provides a counterpoint with ten pieces created between 2011 and 2021. Her work explores themes of resistance and censorship, highlighting Poland's difficult transformation following the fall of communism in 1989, and the impact of targeted attacks against those who resisted the new government.

Key highlights include Noticeboard (2011), never shown in the UK before, which resembles a bulletin board with complaints about censorship of Polish artists after the unrest of the 1990s, and International Institute of Intellectual Co-operation (2015), a critique and dialogue for hope, bringing together thinkers from different eras in an imagined exchange of ideas.

Drawing from The Box's archival collection, The Bridge Gallery examines the historical and cultural ties between Plymouth and the Polish community. Following Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland, many Polish troops fought for the allies with large numbers stationed around Plymouth during World War II. Many Polish servicemen subsequently settled in the city.

The connection deepened in 1976 when Plymouth and Gdynia were twinned. Today, Poles continue to have a strong presence in Plymouth, with the 2021 census identifying 1.2% of residents reporting Poland as their birth country – the largest number of any non-UK nationals.

Rebecca Bridgman, Head of Collections and Programme at The Box said:

Stay up to date with related events for Remember Respond Resist via our what's on section.

Find out more about the UK/Poland Season 2025.

Image credits

● Goshka Macuga, Make Tofu Not War, 2018. Courtesy of the artist and Kate MacGarry, London © British Council Collection
● Andrzej Jackowski, In My Father's House, 1981. © Andrzej Jackowski and British Council Collection
● Fiona Banner, Chinook Drawing, 1995 © Fiona Banner aka The Vanity Press and British Council Collection
● Grayson Perry,The Upper Class at Bay, 2012. Courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro © Grayson Perry
● Goshka Macuga, Noticeboard, 2011. Courtesy of the artist and Kate MacGarry, London