Prologue - sculpture by Kacper Gaczkowski
1 June 2026 - 31 October 2026
“Prologue” (“Prolog”), a solo sculpture show by Kacper Gaczkowski, a student of the UMCS Department of Sculpture and Ceramics, ran 1 June 2026 - 31 October 2026 outdoors, in the Rosarium section of the UMCS Botanical Garden in Lublin.
UMCS Botanical Garden on the exhibition (our translation of the museum’s Polish text):
“Prologue” is a solo exhibition by Kacper Gaczkowski, presenting the beginning of his creative path in sculpture and at the same time heralding his further artistic explorations. Although some of the works on show differ in theme, their common denominator remains constant experiment with form, with material and with the range of questions they take up. The exhibition is the result of two years of intensive studio work. It shows the artist’s development so far and at the same time serves as an introduction to his newest cycle of sculptures, now in progress under the title “Pogoń”.
What to expect
This was sculpture in the open air, with no gallery room. The show stood in the Rosarium section, on the garden grounds, not inside the Kościuszko Manor House, under whose profile this site lists the garden’s shows. The garden did, however, announce the opening at the manor.
According to the garden, the show presented the beginning of the author’s path in sculpture and was the result of two years of intensive studio work. It also served as an introduction to his newest cycle of sculptures, “Pogoń” (Polish for “the chase”), which was still in progress during the show. The poster described the whole as student sculpture, prepared under the supervision of Piotr Zieleniak.
“Prologue” was one of three shows in the series “Mistrz i uczeń” (Master and Student). Alongside it the garden showed the AR films of “Young Movie” and the group show of student sculpture “Debuts” (“Debiuty”). Both sculpture shows were prepared under the supervision of Piotr Zieleniak, and both were under the patronage of the UMCS rector, Professor Radosław Dobrowolski.
Context
Kacper Gaczkowski graduated from the Józef Brandt Secondary School of Fine Arts in Radom, where he studied from 2019 to 2024. In January 2026 he was in the second year of an art-education degree in the visual arts at the UMCS Faculty of Arts. He works mainly in printmaking, linocut and etching, and in sculpture, and also turns to drawing and painting.
The subject that recurs most often in his work is the human being: the psyche, the problems of the society around him, and the human body as form. His earlier show “Proces” (Process) brought together his drawings and prints of 2023-2025 as a record of his creative path over that period. The garden presented “Prologue” in a similar way, as a showing of the artist’s development so far, only in sculpture.
Tickets and time
Ticket: the show stood outdoors on the garden grounds, so a ticket to the Botanical Garden alone was enough; the combined ticket to the garden and the Kościuszko Manor House was not needed. None of the available sources named a separate ticket for the show itself. Admission prices for the garden and the manor are on the museum’s profile.
Where: outdoors, in the Rosarium section on the grounds of the UMCS Botanical Garden, outside the Kościuszko Manor House building. Directions and the garden entrance are on the museum’s profile.
Time needed: this was a student show in the open air of a single section of the garden, so about 15 minutes was enough for the sculptures themselves. This is our estimate.
Who it was for: garden visitors who wanted to see sculpture at the start of a creative path, and anyone interested in studying at the UMCS Department of Sculpture and Ceramics. Who could skip it: anyone who would have come to the garden for this show alone; a student show in one section of the garden did not justify a separate trip.
What the press says
Two press pieces on the show relayed the organisers’ information:
- Student News (27 May 2026, unsigned): a preview based on the organisers’ notice, according to which the outdoor shows were to stand in the Rozarium section of the UMCS Botanical Garden - link.
- Lublin112 (18 July 2026, Leszek Mikrut): a photo report on the three shows of the “Mistrz i uczeń” series, on view in the garden for a month and a half; it quotes the organisers’ description of “Prologue” and says that one of the shows stands right next to the Kościuszko Manor House and two in the Rozarium - link.
After the show
The show’s own description pointed to the author’s next step: it presented the show as an introduction to his cycle of sculptures “Pogoń”, then in progress. Lublin112 promised in the very headline of its report of 18 July 2026 that the series’ three outdoor shows could not be missed on a walk through the garden.
Museum profile: Kościuszko Manor House.
Tickets and access
The sculptures stood outdoors in the Rosarium section of the UMCS Botanical Garden, so a ticket to the garden alone was enough; the combined ticket with the Kościuszko Manor House was not needed.