"From Embroidery to Serigraphy." School of Form students reinterpret antique textiles

Capturing the spirit of the era

The From Embroidery to Serigraphy exhibition showcases the work by fourth-year design students. The project draws inspiration from the 18th-century embroidered upholstery fabrics from the Royal Castle’s Wettin Gallery. These historical are textiles richly decorated with mythological scenes, fairytales, and intricate rococo ornamentation.

The screen prints are the result of an intensive, six-month design and educational process. During their visits to the Royal Castle, the students—guided by experts and historians—explored the history, social context, craftsmanship, and symbolism of the embroidery.

The project combined two approaches: the humanities, guided by Agnieszka Rayss, Ph.D., and graphic design, led by Marta Kwiatek. Through a series of experiments with form and color, the students developed their final prints. Rather than reproduce historical patterns literally, they created original, contemporary interpretations.

This project wasn’t simply about redrawing old patterns. We wanted students to recognize a living language of symbols in these 18th-century depictions and consider how formal simplification could appeal to modern audiences. Together, we explored why historical narratives remain compelling and how they can be expressed through contemporary visual forms.

Agnieszka Rayss, Ph.D.
Photographer and lecturer at the School of Form

A contemporary take on historical textiles

After months of color testing and experimentation with collage techniques, the students created a series of 16 prints, each measuring 50 × 70 cm. All the works were produced using screen printing, also known as serigraphy.

One interesting discovery during the process was how similar the structure of embroidery is to that of screen printing. In both techniques, an image is built from small marks: stitches made with a needle and thread in embroidery, and halftone dots that create shading in a screen print.

Marta Kwiatek
Head of the Screen Printing Studio at the School of Form

The From Embroidery to Serigraphy exhibition brings two eras into conversation. Using a traditional printmaking technique, young designers have reinterpreted 18th-century art through their own contemporary visual language.

Prints by

Klara Arrowsmith, Milena Bednarczyk, Robert Boliński, Zuzanna Dróżdż, Mikołaj Faron, Julia Glinka, Izabela Grzybowska, Antonina Klimont, Jonatan Majewski, Helena Mierzwiczak, Zofia Rybińska, Alisa Shyrvel, Zuzanna Sołtysiak, Maria Szeptycka, Helena Szulc, Miriam Tokarska

Practical info

From Embroidery to Serigraphy

Where: Royal Castle in Warsaw

When: October 8–18, 2026. The exhibition is open during the Royal Castle’s regular hours, except on Wednesdays.