Pilecki Institute NYC

06/22/2026

The Board of Directors of the Witold Pilecki Institute of Solidarity and Valor has appointed Jack Fairweather as the interim President (CEO) of Pilecki Institute (USA), Inc., effective as of 18 June 2026. His task will be to expand the program strategy in line with the statutory mission of the Pilecki Institute’s New York branch.

Jack Fairweather, a British journalist and war correspondent, is the author of an international bestseller on Cavalry Captain Witold Pilecki, The Volunteer, which won the 2019 Costa Book Award (one of the most prestigious British literary awards). In 2019, Jack Fairweather was also the co-curator of the first exhibition about Witold Pilecki to be presented at the Pilecki Institute’s Berlin branch. He has also served on the advisory board to the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York for its new permanent exhibition and has worked in the field of Holocaust education and curriculum development for the past ten years. An acclaimed journalist, Jack Fairweather ran The Daily Telegraph’s Baghdad bureau at the height of the Iraq war and hosted a video blog for The Washington Post in Afghanistan. His war coverage won a British Press Award and an Overseas Press Club award citation, among others.

Jack Fairweather’s appointment as the President of the Corporation will ensure the effective implementation of the program and statutory initiatives of the Pilecki Institute in New York. Jack Fairweather will serve as the President of the Corporation for six months. In the meantime, an open competition for the position of the President of Pilecki Institute (USA), Inc., in New York, will be announced.

06/17/2026

After a short break, “MODEERN FREEDOM” is once again open to visitors at Pilecki Institute USA.

We invite you to visit the exhibition in Lower Manhattan and experience this major international presentation of contemporary art from Central and Eastern Europe.

“MODEERN FREEDOM” is open Monday through Friday, from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM, except on federal holidays.

Please note that the exhibition will be closed on June 19 for Juneteenth and on July 3 in observance of Independence Day.

Now on view through August 31, 2026
Pilecki Institute USA
92 Greenwich Street, Lower Manhattan, New York

Co-financed by the Polish National Foundation.

Photo: Wojtek Radtke

06/14/2026

A closer look at the ideas behind “MODEERN FREEDOM.”
 
Piotr Franaszek, CEO of Pilecki Institute USA and curator of the exhibition, introduces “MODEERN FREEDOM,” now on view in Lower Manhattan.
 
Bringing together artists from different countries, generations, and creative backgrounds, the exhibition opens a conversation about memory, identity, culture, and the role of art in shaping how we understand the world today.
 
Presented through painting, sculpture, installation, drawing, film, performance, photography, and text, “MODEERN FREEDOM” offers a major international presentation of contemporary art from Central and Eastern Europe at Pilecki Institute USA.
 
Curated by Piotr Franaszek, Tomáš Koudela, and Wojtek Radtke.
 
Now on view through August 31, 2026
Pilecki Institute USA
92 Greenwich Street, Lower Manhattan, New York
 
Co-financed by the Polish National Foundation.

06/11/2026

Please note that “MODEERN FREEDOM” will be temporarily closed to visitors through June 16 due to technical work taking place at Pilecki Institute USA.

We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to welcoming visitors back to the exhibition soon.

Pilecki Institute USA
92 Greenwich Street, Lower Manhattan, New York

Photo: Wojtek Radtke

06/09/2026

Before an exhibition opens, there is a whole world visitors rarely get to see.

Take a closer look at the making of “MODEERN FREEDOM” at Pilecki Institute USA — from planning and installation to placement, lighting, adjustments, and final details. Each work was unpacked, positioned, measured, arranged, and carefully placed in dialogue with the Institute’s space.

This behind-the-scenes glimpse captures the process of building the exhibition from the inside: the coordination, precision, and attention to detail that happen before the doors open to visitors.

Curated by Piotr Franaszek, Tomáš Koudela, and Wojtek Radtke.

Now on view through August 31, 2026
Pilecki Institute USA
92 Greenwich Street, Lower Manhattan, New York

Co-financed by the Polish National Foundation.

06/08/2026

”MODEERN FREEDOM” brings together over 80 artists from over dozen countries of Central and Eastern Europe, creating an international presentation of contemporary art shaped by different histories, cultures, and perspectives on freedom.

Presented in New York, the exhibition gathers multiple generations, languages, and artistic practices in one shared space. The works reflect on memory, identity, transformation, and the ways artists respond to the world around them.

The exhibition features voices from Ukraine, adding an important contemporary perspective to a broader story of resilience, cultural continuity, and artistic expression across the region.

Through painting, sculpture, installation, drawing, film, performance, photography, and text, “MODEERN FREEDOM” presents Central and Eastern Europe as a place of artistic strength, historical awareness, and ongoing reflection on freedom today.

Curated by Piotr Franaszek, Tomáš Koudela, and Wojtek Radtke.

On view through August 31, 2026
Pilecki Institute USA
92 Greenwich Street, Lower Manhattan, New York

Co-financed by the Polish National Foundation.

Photo: Wojtek Radtke

06/04/2026

June 4, 1989: The Day Poland Changed Europe

On June 4, 1989, Poles went to the polls in the first partially free elections held behind the Iron Curtain since World War II.
The results were historic. Candidates backed by the Solidarity movement won an overwhelming victory, dealing a decisive blow to communist rule and setting Poland on a path toward democracy.

What happened in Poland that day did not stay in Poland. This peaceful democratic breakthrough inspired movements across Central and Eastern Europe and helped trigger the chain of events that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communist regimes throughout the region.
Poland was the first country in the Soviet bloc to break free through negotiation, civic courage, and the power of the ballot box. It showed that freedom could triumph over oppression without violence.

Today, we remember the millions of Poles who stood up for democracy, human dignity, and self-determination—and whose courage helped reshape Europe.

When Poland voted for freedom, Europe followed.

Pictured: “Solidarity Made in China” by Grzegorz Klaman and “Tablecloth” by Katarzyna Józefowicz, currently on view at the Pilecki Institute as part of the ”Modeern Freedom” exhibition. Through powerful artistic reflection, the exhibition explores the experiences of war, totalitarian violence, political pressure, and social transformation that have shaped Central and Eastern Europe and continue to influence conversations about freedom today.

On view through August 31, 2026
Pilecki Institute USA
92 Greenwich Street, New York, NY

Photo: Wojtek Radtke

06/03/2026

“MODEERN FREEDOM” is now open at Pilecki Institute USA in Lower Manhattan.

A major exhibition of art from Poland and Central and Eastern Europe, “MODEERN FREEDOM” brings together internationally recognized artists and younger voices from the region.

Painting, sculpture, installation, drawing, film, performance, photography, and text come together in a broad presentation of contemporary artistic practice shaped by history, culture, and the question of freedom today.

Curated by Piotr Franaszek, Tomáš Koudela, and Wojtek Radtke.

On view through August 31, 2026
Pilecki Institute USA
92 Greenwich Street, Lower Manhattan, New York

Co-financed by the Polish National Foundation.

05/27/2026

The New Voice of Ukraine

Works by 10 Ukrainian artists are being presented at Modern Freedom, a major international exhibition in New York featuring contemporary artists from Central and Eastern Europe.