Profile and program

Galeria Bielska BWA is a municipal gallery which promotes the most interesting phenomena of modern art - from painting to photography, performance, installation art, and new media.

_{See the film above.}

It presents exhibitions, festivals and events in public spaces. The Gallery provides exhibition space, education, information and produces publications. Since 1962, there has been an unbroken series called "Bielska Jesień" (Bielska Autumn) - a national painting competition, since 1995 called Painting Biennale. Since 2000 - and alternating with the competition - there has been a complementary exhibition of paintings based on a concept selected by the curator.
The Gallery systematically presents works of local artists - recently in the form of the “Visual Art Festival", cooperates with artists, art galleries and universities in other countries and organises art residencies programmes.

Galeria Bielska BWA has an art collection consisting of now 1073 paintings, prints, drawings and fabrics.

The gallery presents both solo and group exhibitions of contemporary art focusing on chosen themes, with artists from Poland and abroad. It also organizes other events in the area of visual arts, such as:
- exhibition opening events,
- lectures and meetings,
- performances,
- competitions,

The gallery provides educational activities for children, adolescents and adults:
- lectures,
- workshops

and organizes other cultural activities:
- screening of art videos,
- concerts of alternative and jazz music,
- poetry reading.

The gallery also organizes meetings, discussions, workshops, screenings of socially engaged documentaries, etc. which address social and environmental issues. These events are often co-organized by NGOs and social activists.

The Gallery is a cultural institution run by the local government and financed from the budget of the city of Bielsko-Biała.