What if a magazine became a gallery? That’s essentially the story of Raster. Founded in 2001 by art historians Łukasz Gorczyca and Michał Kaczyński, Raster emerged from their earlier projects. These included the “Raster” art magazine and the “Naświetlarnia” garage gallery.
From April 2001, the gallery was first located in a small place on Marszałkowska street. Later in September 2003 it was moved to an appartment at Hoża 42/8 street. At first it operated as the Raster Art Center. Since September 2011, Raster’s headquarters has been at Wspólna 63. That is where we are standing now.
Raster aimed to promote young artists. Early on, it fostered the careers of artists like Michał Budny and Wilhelm Sasnal. The gallery also represents established artists. These include Zbigniew Libera, Edward Dwurnik and Zofia Rydet’s estate.
Raster Editions is also a part of the gallery. It is a bookstore for art publications. You can find limited-edition art here. There are affordable photographs and prints. These are aimed at collectors and those new to contemporary art. Raster Editions also has special exhibitions. They showcase new works by gallery artists.
Raster participates in Warsaw Gallery Weekend since 2011. The gallery has maintained a presence on the international art scene. It cooperates with significant institutions and collections. Raster takes part in major art fairs. These include Art Basel and Frieze.
The gallery has independent initiatives. One is the Villa series of international art projects. Villa has been presented in Warsaw and Tokyo. It has also been in Reykjavík and Toronto.
Raster magazine started in 1995. It appeared in print until 1997. In November 2000, it gained its own domain. It functioned online as an art weekly. It offered critical texts on exhibitions. It also covered artistic events.
At Marszałkowska, Raster’s first exhibitions included “Everyday life in Poland in the years 1999-2001”. It presented works by Wilhelm Sasnal. In 2002, there was also the “Rowelucja” exhibition. It was part of a joint project promoting cycling in Warsaw.
At Hoża, Raster shared space with the “Lampa” magazine. Its activities were interdisciplinary. There were literary evenings and concerts. A recurring event was “Favorite Saturday of Young Intelligentsia at Raster”. In 2004, the “Interkosmos” exhibition took place. It featured photographs and films by Erik Binder.
In 2009, the anthology “You Have Your Critics” summarized the magazine’s activity. It includes texts from 1997 to 2004.
Today, Raster continues to showcase contemporary art. It helps people understand it. The gallery paves the way for art in homes and collections. It remains a vital part of Warsaw’s art scene.