The bare concrete structure of a decommissioned power plant, part of the Arsenał Gallery in Białystok in north-eastern Poland, is the home to an exhibition by Augustas Serapinas, a Vilnius-based artist who is putting a spotlight on the plight of regional wooden architecture.

For the exhibition, Serapinas has deconstructed three wooden buildings, which have all been decommissioned, from the Podlasie region as well as from his native Lithuania. The title of the exhibition is Pine, spruce and aspen, a nod to the native species of the region’s extensive forests.

Hosted by John Beauchamp and Katarzyna Jagodzińska

Out of the wooden beams, Serapinas has created a kind of labyrinth, and we can walk in and out of the houses, and the wooden zigzag structures weave a stark contrast to the concrete hall which the exhibition is housed in.

In this episode, we explore the plight of wooden vernacular architecture in the Podlasie region and beyond. Join us as we are in Białystok to see the exhibition for ourselves, and we are joined on the line by artist Augustas Serapinas and Matthew Post, a Podlasie-based curator originally from California who stands behind the idea for the exhibition.

The universal message will remain topical even after the exhibition closes. Despite its captivating aesthetics we read it as a gesture of activism, calling for the saving of this ephemeral heritage.

During the podcast we mention the Koźliki open air museum which we visited as part of the Ukraine Heritage Spotlight series: you can find out more here.

Dan Perjovschi is a Romanian artist, writer and journalist whose simple cartoon-like drawings provoke and appeal to audiences the world over.

His work is politically and socially engaging, and his exhibitions – which he usually “installs” himself by painting directly onto museum walls – are extremely popular, with shows being held at the Pompidou Centre in Paris, MoMa in New York, as well as a whole host of other institutions.

Perjovschi is often regarded as a disruptor, and his illustrations often provide a cynical – if not critical – view of the contemporary world with all its oddities and absurdities.

As an artist, Perjovschi challenges our contemporary view on the cultural heritage produced and interpreted by institutions.

In his role as an activist of sorts, he often questions authority – as well as the authority of the very places where he shows his art. How does that affect his creative process and how does he navigate our the ins and outs of our post-modern reality?

The Hub’s John Beauchamp and Katarzyna Jagodzińska met Dan Perjovschi in Bucharest in October 2024 to discuss his work and his approach to art.

There are a number of moments during this episode when Dan uses strong language. You have been warned!

It’s the first Thursday in December, and in the southern Polish city of Kraków a number of people have gathered around the Adam Mickiewicz monument on the Main Market Square for the annual nativity scene competition.

Cracovian nativity scenes, or szopki, have been a regular fixture in the city since the 19th century, and since 1937 a competition has been running for the best-made cribs. But these are not your normal nativity scenes – yes of course, you have the Holy Family and it is representative for the Christian feast of Christmas, but what sets the Cracovian szopki apart is the technique in which they are made and their regional symbolism.

In 2018 this festive tradition, which adds a colourful accent to the Christmas atmosphere of the city, was inscribed to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The Hub’s John Beauchamp and Katarzyna Jagodzińska meet with Dr Andrzej Szoka, head of the Intangible Heritage Interpretation Centre of Kraków (part of the Museum of Kraków) to find out more this unique heritage.