Agata
Marchlewicz

Which place do you currently call home and where do you work on your projects?

I live in Poznań in Poland, in an old, quite busy district of the city. My work table is in my apartment. On the one hand, I dream of having my own studio—on the other, I enjoy working here. I have 2 children and a full-time job at school—I don’t think I would have time to travel to a studio in another district of the city, so working at my desk at home is a form of relaxation for me.

Do you have a favourite place in your area where you like to relax and linger?

In winter, Poland is gray and sad. It’s hard to relax outside. People are tense and nervous all the time. But in the summer, it is beautiful, you can ride a bike to a nearby park or leave the city for the forest and the lake. We have quite a lot of them around, and I like to meet my friends there. I also believe that the Polish forest is unique in Europe, and one of the most relaxing activities in the world for me is picking mushrooms.

Are there any urgent political issues or problems in your region?

Poland is full of problems to solve. It’s hard to name one, but larger cities are certainly affected by concrete disease and the problem of incompetent urban space planning. They are taking away our trees at the expense of city investments. The water problem is also slowly becoming important—decreasing levels of rivers and lakes in the region. It is possible that in a dozen or so years several of the coolest lakes in the region will dry up.

Is there anything particularly innovative in your region?Also in comparison to other places you have already visited?

A characteristic craft of Greater Poland is wickerwork. Its center is located in Nowy Tomyśl. But in fact, it is young people who are reviving old professions and establishing good studios that operate somewhere at the intersection of craftsmanship and design.

We have great ceramicists such as HUBA and Hadaki, textile designers White Flag and many rhizomes. Poznań also has great visual artists and good independent galleries such as Pani Domu, Łęctwo, and Szczur gallery.

Do you have a secret restaurant tip that you would like to share with us?

I honestly don’t know. I really rarely say wow when I eat in Poznań. The district with the most small and interesting restaurants is Jeżyce. By far the best baked goods in Poznań are made by my friend, where we regularly eat cakes at house parties, and my husband is a specialist in pickles. He makes the best kimchi. I’m waiting for them to finally create something together.

And I invite you to Wilda district, to a club called Farby, where you can still feel the spirit of a paint shop. Here you can drink delicious herbal tea with vodka, or eat Czech chips with a good craft beer. Moreover, every weekend there are concerts, performances and poetry slams—Poznań’s underground at its best.

Is there a local shop whose products are only available in your region?

In Poznań, there are lots of small shops with handicrafts from Polish artists, ceramicists, sculptors, clothing designers, there’s a lot of it. Maybe I would mention Słońce—concept store in Jeżyce district.

What are your 3 favourite apps that you use every day and couldn’t live without?

I don’t really use apps. I still have Bolt because it makes it easy to move around. But I uninstall apps as soon as I can, anyway, I have an old phone and nothing fits in it anymore. I’m terribly analog.

Do you have any favourite newspapers or online magazines? And how do you keep up to date with politics or social and cultural issues?

I really like reading Dwutygodnik online. Great columnists, decent reviews. Apart from that, I recommend the magazines Pismo, Znak and the good old Przekrój, where social topics are discussed. I also love listening to good podcasts. My absolute best are Dział Zagraniczny and Raport o stanie świata, including a series of conversations with the famous Polish ambassador Jan Natkański, ‘Opowieści arabskie’.

Imagine you could be mayor for a year—what would you change?

Seriously? Maybe, I could find money for a decent art gallery. But really, there are so many pressing problems.

One last question: If you could choose another place to live—regardless of financial or time constrains—which one would you choose?

I would probably choose southern Italy, because I need the sun more and more. But I could also finally live in a small house in the forest in the Kotlina Kłodzka Valley in Poland. I don’t know, there are so many beautiful places on Earth, and Poznań is a pretty nice base.