Interview with Agnieszka Kołek,
the Polish woman of the Year and the curator of the Passion for Freedom festival

My first question is, why do you actually want to do things, which politicians are afraid to even mention?

Politicians are afraid to speak about it, they find it uneasy to discuss difficult topics, as addressing such issues might deprive them of potential votes and alienate them in political circles. For me this is easy: I love art and artists. As Ai Weiwei put it, artists are “soul engineers” which is the reason why regimes and demagogues of great utopian ideologies are so much afraid of them. Artists themselves in turn need support because they carry a great burden of responsibility, furthermore, they might be punished for their art even with the death sentence – be it by the government or by a hand of an extremist just as in case of Theo van Gogh’s murder in Holland.

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In conversation with Agnieszka Kolek

Agnieszka Kolek is a Debut Alumni who has moved on in an amazing directon. Recently she was awarded Polish Woman of the Year in the UK for her great work with Passion for Freedom festival. We talked to her about this exciting fact.

Agnieszka, congratulations on becoming Polish Woman of the Year in the UK!
What will be next for you?

Thank you, it is a great honour and responsibility. I was chosen from a group of very successful and powerful Polish women here in the UK. Currently I am working on 5th edition of Passion for Freedom London Arts Festival. I am in the process of securing two established artists as Special Guests at the festival plus overlooking works on the Freedom Book. As festival works go in a cycle I use quieter time to focus on my own art practice. I have completed a number of works since January and continue to work on few more in preparation for a solo show. [ Read more ]