Krzysztof Gil. Nobody Wants You Here

An exhibition by Krzysztof Gil, an artist of Polish-Romani background, about what the ghetto means today - not only the kind built from walls and political decisions, but the ghetto of imagination that forms in images and stereotypes before any real exclusion happens. The starting point is the artist’s own experience.

Zachęta on the exhibition:

Krzysztof Gil’s exhibition addresses the complex issue of the ghetto in its contemporary meaning. Historically, ghettos were physically separated parts of cities, often surrounded by walls and cut off from the rest of the urban space. Today, this concept primarily has a sociological dimension and refers to impoverished districts of large metropolises, inhabited by excluded groups who have limited access to social resources and a reduced standard of living.

Refugee camps, temporary and guarded centers for foreigners are often analyzed by sociologists and activists as places functioning similarly to ghettos or total institutions, completely controlling an individual’s life. Although the term ‘ghetto’ historically referred to the forced isolation of ethnic or religious groups, in the contemporary migratory context it is used to describe phenomena such as isolation, control, and the restriction of migrants’ rights. This term also refers to the tendency of specific environments, professions, classes, or ethnic groups to close themselves off, forming their own isolated communities. It also includes homogeneous areas in urban space, such as gated communities or social housing estates. These processes are often accompanied by physical interference in the urban fabric, hindering free movement and contributing to the disappearance of public space. At the same time, this complicates mutual relations between the residents of such an enclave and the rest of the urban population, which can lead to marginalization and hinder the rebuilding of healthy relations in local communities.

In his analysis of the concept of the ghetto, Gil refers, among other things, to Ece Temelkuran’s book Naród obcych. Jak odbudować wspólny dom w XXI wieku (Nation of Strangers. How to Rebuild a Common Home in the 21st Century) (Wydawnictwo Krytyki Politycznej, 2026). The Turkish journalist and writer proposes a new ethics of survival based on the solidarity of all alienated individuals, and in the contemporary world, any of us can be one. Another important inspiration for addressing this topic came from the artist’s memories of his hometown. Krzysztof Gil grew up in a housing estate created as a result of a government decree (Act of October 17, 1958, on the Permanent Settlement of Nomadic Persons). Similar legislation led to the ghettoization of Romani people throughout the socialist bloc, and its effects are visible to this day, for example, in the infamous Luník IX estate in Košice. The artist’s childhood coincided with the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, when pogroms, nationalist attacks, and forced departures from Poland with one-way passports were part of the daily experience of Romani people.

The artist’s perspective is rooted in his Polish-Romani identity and the experience of biculturalism. This dual belonging is not merely a biographical fact but a cognitive tool that allows him to navigate between two codes, two languages for describing reality, and two ways of seeing. At the exhibition in Zachęta, the artist attempts to confront the concept of ghettoization as a mechanism recurring across different scales, places, and eras. He is interested in both the real ghetto, built of walls or political decisions, and the ghetto of imagination. He examines images, narratives, and stereotypes that precede and justify the real exclusion of various groups. Krzysztof Gil states that the ghetto of imagination arises at the level of the image, which is why, as an artist, he can act on this primary front of shaping perceptions, to change the way the alienated and the Other are viewed, disarming established clichés about them.

What to expect

Gil looks at ghettoization as a mechanism that recurs across different scales, places and eras: from the historical walled ghetto, through the poor districts of big cities, refugee camps and guarded centers for foreigners, to gated communities and social housing estates. He is interested in both the real ghetto, built of walls and political decisions, and the ghetto of imagination - the images, narratives and stereotypes that precede exclusion and justify it.

The anchor is the artist’s own story. Gil grew up on a housing estate created under a 1958 act on the settlement of nomadic persons, and his childhood at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s fell during a time of pogroms and nationalist attacks on Roma. Among his inspirations he names the Turkish writer Ece Temelkuran’s book Nation of Strangers and his memories of his hometown. Gil’s perspective grows out of his Polish-Romani identity and the experience of biculturalism.

Tickets, opening hours, and current details are on Zachęta’s website.

Museum profile: Zachęta.