Gold for Poland Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai!

Poland Pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka has been honored with one of the most prestigious awards granted by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE). During the official BIE Day ceremony, held on October 12, 2025, on the Shining Hat stage on Yumeshima Island in Osaka, Poland received the BIE Gold Award in the category of medium-sized pavilions (from 1,750 m² to 2,500 m²).

“The award granted to Poland Pavilion shows that our participation in Expo 2025, despite the many challenges this project entailed, turned out to be an exceptional success. Our cultural heritage is an extraordinary asset on which we can build Poland’s brand and showcase it in the best possible way – and that is exactly what we did in Osaka. Our award-winning exhibition was visited by over one million people, and I can hardly recall a moment when there wasn’t a long line in front of the pavilion. My heartfelt congratulations go above all to the artists, designers, and the entire team of experienced professionals who, for years, have passionately carried out Poland’s participation in World Expositions,” said Jacek Tomczak, Commissioner General of the Polish Section at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.

The distinction honors the efforts of many people who worked to create a space where art, technology, science, and emotions come together. The BIE jury recognized not only the cohesive and engaging visitor journey but also the originality of the exhibition and the significance of the message conveyed by Poland Pavilion’s motto: “Poland. Heritage that drives the future.”

“Expo 2025 is a great success for the Polish Investment and Trade Agency as the operator responsible for implementing Poland’s presence at the World Expo. We extend our sincere thanks and congratulations to everyone who contributed to this achievement – the team, artists and curators, and all our partners. This remarkable award, alongside over a million visitors to Poland Pavilion, two economic forums, and dozens of business meetings, confirms that the work was carried out with the utmost care and at a world-class level,” said Łukasz Gwiazdowski, Vice President of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency.

“We are extremely happy because the exhibition is part of Poland’s presence at the event, which we have been proud of from the very beginning, and which presented Poland in the most comprehensive way. We are delighted that the most prestigious award, granted by the Expo organizers, went to Poland Pavilion team, thus becoming a worthy culmination of Poland’s participation in the World Expo in Osaka,” emphasized Eliza Klonowska-Siwak, Deputy Commissioner General of the Polish Section at Expo 2025, while accepting the award.

The permanent exhibition of Poland Pavilion, designed by a curatorial team comprising Monika Brauntsch (KAFTI), Ewa Kierklo, Stanisław Kempa (GDYBY), and Wiesław Bartkowski, combines natural materials with contemporary technology. Visitors could, among other experiences, create their own digital plant in the “Spirit Plant” installation, immerse themselves in AI-generated landscapes in “The Most Polish Landscape”, discover the power of seven herbs in an animated herbal compendium, or surround themselves with the sounds of “Aura”, inspired by the music of Fryderyk Chopin.

“The installations, developed in collaboration with artists, create a unique space where heritage intertwines with the future, and tradition meets innovation. Our concept is based on an authentic and living element of Polish heritage – herbs. Through the subtle use of contemporary technology, traditions and craftsmanship gain a ‘magical’ dimension, while the true driving force of the exhibition becomes the visitors themselves, who not only observe but also co-create the Pavilion’s space. Visitors can truly experience our message without feeling overwhelmed or overstimulated,” said the creators of the concept.

“The Gold Award from the Bureau International des Expositions is a tremendous honor for us – for the team at the Polish Investment and Trade Agency, but especially for the entire group of curators and artists who designed and created the exhibition. The work on the exhibition lasted over two years and was developed primarily with Japanese audiences in mind. Today, after six months of Expo, we can confidently say that in Osaka we have beautifully told the story of Poland in line with the motto ‘Poland. Heritage that drives the future’ – from culture and tourism to the economy,” said Maria Ostrowska, Deputy Director of the Expo Department at the Polish Investment and Trade Agency, and co-author of the program concept for Poland’s participation in Expo 2025 Osaka.

The BIE Award is yet another international distinction for Poland at Expo 2025. Earlier, Poland Pavilion also received silver and bronze awards in the prestigious World Expolympics competition organized by The Experiential Design Authority (TEDA) – for the “Plantation of Ideas” exhibition and for the overall exhibition concept, respectively.

Poland Pavilion has attracted tremendous interest – by October 2025, it had already welcomed over one million visitors. Its distinctive architecture, artistic installations, daily concerts, and rich program of cultural and economic events make it one of the most recognizable landmarks on the Expo map.

Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai will conclude on October 13, 2025. On Yumeshima Island, 170 participants presented their pavilions – 161 countries and regions, and 9 international organizations. Organizers estimate that the Expo was visited by a total of 28 million people.

Poland’s presence at the World Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai is managed by the Polish Investment and Trade Agency, under the supervision of the Ministry of Development and Technology.

Permanent exhibition at Poland Pavilion

The visitor path through Poland Pavilion consists of installations created in collaboration with artists, harmoniously combining inspirations from nature and traditional crafts with contemporary technology. Each installation subtly incorporates technology, creating a magical dimension to the exhibition. The different zones allow visitors to immerse themselves in Polish herbal traditions, experience Polish craftsmanship, and even sense the changing rhythms of nature. They engage emotions and inspire reflection on the future.

• The “Spirit Plant” installation is based on parametric plants that introduce visitors to a world connected with herbs. The plants are created using an algorithm that, based on the selection of available parameters, allows each visitor to compose their own individual plant – the “Spirit Plant”. The resulting images are displayed on semi-transparent screens, forming part of the scenography while providing visual experiences and creating a fleeting, magical atmosphere reminiscent of ancient rituals and beliefs associated with herbs. The installation actively engages visitors, who become its co-creators, and the plant remains as a keepsake – guests can download it to their phones and share it on social media. The installation was created by Marcin Ignac and the team at Variable.io.

• The animated herbal compendium, “Seven Herbs”, presents the tradition of Polish herbalism through contemporary illustration and references the history of the Polish school of illustration. The herbarium is inspired by a tradition shared by both Poland and Japan: a soup made from seven herbs, prepared in early spring to provide the body with valuable nutrients. A similar tradition, though using different ingredients, existed in Japan. The installation features plants known for their medicinal, culinary, and aromatic properties, long believed to possess magical powers. Some of these beliefs have been confirmed by science, which over time has precisely identified their effects. The illustrations were created by Kasia Walentynowicz, Monika Hanulak, and Patrycja Podkościelny, and the installation was realized by the teams at Science Now and Juice.

• The installation “The Most Polish Landscape,” created by Szymon Pepliński and Wiesław Bartkowski, uses artificial intelligence techniques to bring visitors closer to the essence of the Polish landscape and showcase its diversity. AI-generated panoramas of Poland evolve and transform on a wide screen in response to visitors’ movements. This fluid transformation unfolds through poetic sequences of motion, continuously building and reshaping the scenery. Trained on thousands of photographs from different regions of Poland, the AI system is capable of generating entirely new, non-existent landscapes that serve as ideal representations of the Polish spirit of the landscape.

• “Aura” is a unique instrument that combines traditional craftsmanship and natural materials with contemporary digital technology. Renowned composer and instrumentalist Jerzy Rogiewicz distilled the essence of Fryderyk Chopin’s works, inspired by folk music and the sounds of nature. “Aura” consists of more than one hundred independent modules forming a digitally controlled orchestra that organically produces sound from natural materials. At the heart of each instrument is a piece of willow – a tree associated with Chopin and sourced from the area around Żelazowa Wola, his birthplace. Through the use of artificial intelligence, visitors can subtly influence the movement of “Aura,” becoming co-creators of the concert. The installation was created by Wiesław Bartkowski, Olga Milczyńska, and Jerzy Rogiewicz.

• “Generations” is a dynamic gallery connecting the parametric plants from the “Spirit Plant” installation. Over the six months of the Expo, the installation records and builds the individual trace of every person visiting Poland Pavilion. The projections symbolize the connection between tradition and the future, as well as the merging of individual experiences into a collective act of creation. “Generations” highlights the creative potential of Poles in the field of new technologies. The installation was created by Marcin Ignac and the team at Variable.io.

• The installation “Pre-Spring,” created by PhD Urszula Zajączkowska (Professor at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences – SGGW) and Megi Malinowsky, is an artistic tribute to the fleeting moments in the life cycle of plants – those “just before the new” stages that usually escape our attention. Based on years of forest botany research and personal observation, the installation invites viewers to pause and reflect on what is often overlooked: buds on the verge of blooming, flowers with only a single petal remaining, or fruits in their delicate stage of ripening. The plants – collected throughout the seasons, from late winter to late autumn – were carefully dried in silica gel to preserve their three-dimensional form, color, and intricate details. More than 130 of these specimens were then encased in transparent resin spheres, creating an enchanting display that captivates visitors to Poland Pavilion.

• The installation “Verses” features poetic forms inspired by haiku – lyrical miniatures written by a new generation of Polish poets, serving as a commentary on the themes presented in Poland Pavilion. The verses, inscribed on the walls throughout various parts of the Pavilion, create an inspiring dialogue with the exhibition. At the entrance to the concert hall, printed slips of poetry fill an entire wall. Visitors are invited to take them as a symbolic “key word” for building a shared future. The installation incorporates poetry by Barbara Klicka, Krystyna Dąbrowska, Małgorzata Lebda, Urszula Zajączkowska, Jakub Kornhauser, Jerzy Jarniewicz, and Krzysztof Czyżewski.

• The multisensory immersive installation “Sound of Matter” is inspired by the communal tradition of inhalation. Combining a unique experience with elements of light and sound immersion, it offers opportunities for contemplation and meditation. The installation engages the senses and promotes relaxation, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the sounds of water and the scent of wood. While traditional inhalation towers are built using blackthorn, the Pavilion’s installation uses locally available kuromoji wood. The work was created by the interdisciplinary art collective IP Group.

• The installation “Cloud” draws inspiration from traditional Polish folk ornaments known as “pająki” (spiders), characteristic of handicraft traditions in many regions of the country. These ornaments were typically created through the collective effort of many people, especially during festive periods. The colorful folk form inspired the creation of this spatial installation. Integrated with the windows of Poland Pavilion, the cloud offers an intriguing view from the outside. Its three-dimensional, lively shapes interact with light, filtering through the openwork structures. The installation was created by Hanna Stano.

• The “Nest” zone is inspired by Chopin concerts held at the Royal Baths Park (Łazienki Królewskie) in Warsaw. Recordings of Fryderyk Chopin’s works, available via wireless headphones on a stand outside the Pavilion, allow visitors to immerse themselves in the composer’s musical world. By putting on the headphones, guests can listen to piano performances by Janusz Olejniczak. The installation was created in collaboration with the Fryderyk Chopin Institute.

• “Soundscape”, the background music heard throughout the Pavilion, features the sounds of the Polish landscape: meadows, water, rain, and birds. It emphasizes the connection between nature’s music and human-created music. Natural sounds and composed elements are combined with inspirations from Chopin’s music, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the sound of Poland. The installation was created by Michał Zygmunt.

Fot.: A. Stykowski / PAIH

Photos to download: CLICK : Fot. A. Stykowski / PAIH, 

TV shots from exhibition at Poland Pavilion: CLICK

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