Poland Pavilion

The architectural design is based on the use of wood, with an organic form thanks to arches and curves.

The form resembles a spreading wave of creativity and innovation of Poles.

Poland will be presented as a country, the main resource of which are its people – creative, open-minded, educated, imaginative and brave in their thought and effort.

Get to know Poland Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.

Architectural concept

Saving Lives

The arena for the presentation of Poland during World Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai will be a national pavilion with an area of around 1,000 m² located in the thematic zone “Saving Lives”.

A wave of innovation

An architectural concept is based on the application of wood, and the form of a block is intended to evoke association with the spreading wave of creativity and innovation of Poles.

Respect for tradition

Designing an expressive wooden facade built using the traditional “Kigumi Koho” wood joining technique is a favour on Polish and Japanese traditional architecture.

Architects

The architectural concept of the Poland Pavilion was developed by Alicja Kubicka and Borja Martínez from Interplay Architects.

Alicja Kubicka

Alicja Kubicka graduated from the Poznań University of Technology, and is a member of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Regional Chamber of Architects. She also pursued an education at Spanish higher education institutions: Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura in Madrid and La Coruña. Thanks to her fluency in three foreign languages, she spent most of her professional career in France and Spain, working for renowned offices, including Kengo Kuma & Associates, Mesura, as well as Wilmotte et Associés. She played a key role in developing and supervising the construction of big-scale projects, including 1 Hotel Paris and the Exhibition Center in Strasbourg, which was inaugurated in 2022. Currently, she is co-founder of Interplay Architects.

Borja Martinez

Borja Martínez received a diploma of architecture at Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura in San Sebastián after completing an exchange programme at Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura in Madrid. During his professional career at the renowned Japanese design firm Kengo Kuma & Associates, he took part in such international projects as the New Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Odense, the Docteur Leila Mezian Museum in Casablanca, and the Luxury Hotel of La Pointe du Bout in Martinique, where he coordinated the works of multidisciplinary teams. Later, through his cooperation with the French Archi5, Borja also gained rich experience in designing educational and sports facilities. Currently, he is co-founder of Interplay Architects.

“We plan to do everything to create high-quality architecture respecting the environment. After beginning cooperation with Japan, we can see that good design has no limits”

Interview with architects

Heritage, Creativity and Artificial Intelligence

The exhibition concept developed by an interdisciplinary team in the Poland Pavilion consists of interactive artistic installations representing the “creativity gene” inscribed into Polish identity. The place’s climate is created by the combination of nature, tradition, science, and technology. Its driving force are the Visitors, who both experience and co-create the exhibition.

Main experiences

Spirit Plant

Author: Marcin Ignac

The installation is based on parametric plants, which introduce the visitors to the healing world associated with herbs. The plants are created based on an algorithm, which based on the selection of available parameters, allows each of the visitors to compose an individual plant – “Spirit Plant”. The images created in this way will be displayed on semi-transparent screens, constituting an element of the scenography while providing a wonderful visual experience. They will introduce an evanescent, magical climate referring to ancient rituals and beliefs related to herbs. The installation engages visitors – they become coauthors and the plant remains as a souvenir – visitors can download it on the phone and share on social media.
Seven Herbs

The animations will be based on the works of exceptional Polish illustrators.

An animated herbarium presents the tradition of Polish herbalism through contemporary illustration and refers to the history of the Polish school of illustration. The herbarium is inspired by the Polish and Japanese convergent tradition of “Seven Herbs Soup”, which was cooked in the early spring and was meant to deliver vital nutrients to the body. A similar tradition, although based on different ingredients, is cultivated in Japan. The installation presents plants which contain substances with remedial, taste and flavour, to which magical powers have been attributed for ages. Some beliefs were confirmed by science, which with time, precisely described their operation.
Pre-Spring

Authors: Urszula Zajączkowska, Megi Malinowska

The installation is a symbolic representation of the variability of Polish nature and an unprecedented combination of biological knowledge and artistic expression. Polish plants closed in resin spheres are captured in an evanescent moment of transformation. Ephemeral forms immersed in transparent spheres, difficult to observe in the hustle and bustle of life, tell the story of life’s constant transformation. The installation is of a viral nature, encouraging people to share content on social media.
The Most Polish Landscape

Authors: Szymon Pepliński, Wiesław Bartkowski

“The Most Polish Landscape” installation uses the method of artificial intelligence to bring visitors closer to the essence of the Polish landscape and show its diversity. The landscapes of Poland generated by AI on a panoramic screen evolve and change under the influence of visitor traffic. Individuals and groups of visitors moving across the screen determine the features of the displayed content. It smoothly changes, builds and transforms through poetic sequences of movements. The installation “trained” on thousands of pictures from various regions of Poland is capable of creating new, non-existent landscapes that are the ideal representation of the Polish nature of the landscape.
Sound of Matter

Authors: IP Group

A multisensory immersive installation inspired by the communal nature of the inhalation for health. The installation is inspired by the visual form of the graduation tower, the properties of wood, as well as social and communal nature of caring for health and well-being. Combining an exceptional experience with elements of immersion – light and sound effects, contemplation and meditation – it engages the senses and promotes relaxation.
Aura

Authors: Olga Milczyńska, Wiesław Bartkowski, Jerzy Rogiewicz

A unique instrument combining traditional craftsmanship and natural materials with modern digital technology from which an outstanding composer, instrumentalist and improviser will extract the essence of Fryderyk Chopin’s compositions, inspired by folk music and sounds from nature. “Aura” consists of more than a hundred independent modules, one can say that it is a digitally controlled “orchestra”, organically extracting sounds from natural materials. The heart of each “instrument” will be a fragment of willow associated with Chopin and obtained from the area of Żelazowa Wola. Thanks to the usage of artificial intelligence methods, the viewers will be able to subtly influence the movement of “Aura” becoming co-creators of the show.
Generations

Author: Marcin Ignac

The dynamic gallery combines parametric plants “Spirit Plant” and constitutes an individual trace of each person who visited the Poland Pavilion during the six months of the Expo. The projections symbolise the combination of tradition and past, as well as set perfect experiences into a collective, solidarity-based creation. It is also a form of gratitude for everyone who visited the Poland Pavilion. The installation emphasises the creative potential of Poles in the area of new technologies.
Verses

Poetic form inspired by Haiku, and lyrical miniatures by young Polish poets are a poetic commentary on the content presented in the Pavilion. The verses, written on the walls in various places in the Pavilion, constitute an inspiring form of dialogue with the exhibition. At the entrance to the concert hall, printed cards with poetry will fill an entire wall. Visitors will be able to take them as a keyword for building a common future.
Nest

The zone inspired by concerts in the Royal Łazienki in Warsaw is located in front of the Poland Pavilion. It is based on the presentation of recordings of Fryderyk Chopin works performed by Japanese and Polish pianists available on wireless headphones, allowing immersion in the phenomenon of the composer’s music. The zone is being created in cooperation with the Fryderyk Chopin National Institute.

The creators of the exhibition concept

The curatorial team responsible for the exhibition concept includes Monika Brauntsch – KAFTI, Ewa Kierklo and Stanisław Kempa – GDYBY and Wiesław Bartkowski.

Monika Brauntsch

KAFTI

Ewa Kierklo, Stanisław Kempa

GDYBY

Gdyby is a design studio created by architects Ewa Kierklo and Stanisław Kempa. Their activities are mainly based in the culture, art and museum sectors. They create exhibitions, installations and other mediums of storytelling, with a particular focus on experience design and interactive narratives. Directing the viewer’s impressions and bringing out the symbolic and emotional layers is key for them. Gdyby has completed projects in cooperation with many recognised cultural institutions both in Poland and abroad.

Wiesław Bartkowski

Complex systems researcher and interaction designer, employee of the University of Warsaw who researches, among other things, how to develop AI to avoid degrading human cognitive abilities. Author of the concept and manifesto “Matter of Code”, which guides his work in the field of art, exploring the emergent properties resulting from the combination of physical and digital matter. Finalist in the exhibition competition for the Polish Pavilion for the International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. Fellow of the Centre for Systemic Risk Analysis and the think tank Re-Imagine Europa.

Interview with curatorial team

Poland Pavilion

Architectural concept

Saving Lives

A wave of innovation

Respect for tradition

Architects

Alicja Kubicka

Borja Martinez

Heritage, Creativity and Artificial Intelligence

Main experiences

Spirit Plant

Spirit Plant

Seven Herbs

Seven Herbs

Pre-Spring

Pre-Spring

The Most Polish Landscape

The Most Polish Landscape

Sound of Matter

Sound of Matter

Aura