Agnieszka Kolek
head of cultural engagement, MCC Brussels; artist; curator; founder, Passion for Freedom London Art Festival; former deputy director, Ujazdowski Castle, Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw

Agnieszka Kolek is an artist, curator and co–founder of Passion for Freedom London Art Festival. She was the deputy director at Ujazdowski Castle, Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw 2022-2023.

Together with her teams, she built an extensive network of artists committed to protecting freedom of expression. She supports artists forbidden to exhibit their works, exposes the silence of many and challenges the comfortable position of those who inhibit ‘safe spaces’.

Agnieszka survived the terror attack in Copenhagen in 2015. She continued the meeting on art and blasphemy after the attack by saying: ‘They not only want to kill us. They want us to stop talking, so we should continue.’

She is currently head of cultural engagement at MCC Brussels, which she joined with a deep belief that art and beauty can play its part in protecting freedom in our societies. She thinks that being in the centre of decision making will break the spell of art and artists being treated instrumentally.

Follow Agnieszka on Twitter: @InesKaP4F

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