The history of Warsaw is not only a history of its people. Warsaw is home to several thousand species of animals that work for us, provide us with companionship and entertainment, are a source of food and raw materials and play an essential work in the ecological balance of the city.
poster design: Joanna Bębenek
The central theme of the exhibition Animals in Warsaw On The Trail of Relationships is the complex nature of the human-animal realtionships in Warsaw. We explore the diverse presence of animals in the history of this city, reaveal how their status has changed over the years and and how it continues to evolve. On the exhibition we present over 400 objects — historical artefacts, works of art as well as cultural objects that tell the story of of the human-animal realtionship in the city. Drawing on local testimony from various epochs, the exhibition presents the status of animals with relation to human interference in their lives in five different categories: specimens, commodities, workers, companions, neighbours.
Henryk Poddębski, Warsaw Zoological Garden, white bears on the paddock, 1913, Museum of Warsaw, AF 37199
The exhibition Animals in Warsaw. On The Trail of Relationships is an attempt to look at the capital from a non-obvious, zoocentric perspective. Based on testimonies from different eras, it shows how our attitude towards animals has changed. Our aim is to speak out in defense of urban nature and change the way people think about animals as inhabitants of Warsaw.
fot. Tomasz Kaczor/MW, 2021