One December evening in 2014, a glowing sign appeared at the height of 130 meters, on the facade of the Warsaw Spire skyscraper, back then still under construction. It said: KOCHAM WARSZAWĘ (I LOVE WARSAW). The ledon (a neon made with LED light) was enormous, more than 20 meters long. Each letter of the inscription was over 3 meters high. Thanks to its scale and location the slogan was visible from distant points of the capital.

Inspirations for the sign’s concept are known worldwide. Almost everyone is familiar with the slogan “I ♥ NY” that promotes the city of New York and the state since the 1970s, or the ” I amsterdam” sign from 2004, placed in the form of a giant sign behind Rijksmuseum (and later also at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport).

By erecting its first high-rise building, Ghelamco opted for an open, friendly message. KOCHAM WARSZAWĘ would become a slogan associated not so much with its own business, as more with the capital and its dynamic development. After the finishing touches were put to the Warsaw Spire, the sign reappeared in a new version on Plac Europejski (European Square), at the foot of the complex. You can find it there to this day.

In a poll conducted by the sign’s first appearance, capital residents were asked what they have loved Warsaw for. We heard such responses: “for its diversity; for the opportunities it provides; for the nightlife; for the wonderful people; for the attractive places”. Sztuka w Mieście Foundation (Art in the City), established in 2014 by Ghelamco, is trying to promote and co-create such places friendly to the residents. The foundation’s activities are part of the investor’s broader strategy to focus on sustainable development, innovation and care for the urban public space. It organizes educational and cultural activities, such as seminars, concerts or design workshops about Warsaw’s public space. The organization also prepares various surprises for children and young people in the form of souvenirs, coloring books, and DIY model projects related to the capital.

By 2016, Ghelamco opened the Art Walk Gallery on the Plac Europejski. Since then, Sztuka w Mieście Foundation has organized 16 original exhibitions there, in collaboration with over 10 curators and 60 artists. The gallery, which promotes the voice of young artists allows to interact with art outside the walls of museums or “classical” galleries.

KOCHAM WARSZAWĘ has become a motto binding the rich program of activities integrating Warsaw’s residents and visitors on Plac Europejski, such as the boule competition, summer cinema, fan zone, or ice rink. The exposition that you will explore presents Ghelamco’s recent years of contribution to Warsaw’s dynamic development and transformation. It shows some of the company’s social projects presented in the report on the broader, thirty-year pro-social activity of the investor. As the founder, organizer, partner or sponsor, Ghlemaco has contributed to the development of social activities supporting the creation of friendly places to live, learn and work in Poland.

01-05.2022

Artists: Dolce Luce – Ola Munzar & Grzegorz Sobolewski, Olin Gutowski, Kamila Mróz
Concept & Coordination: Karolina Wlazło-Malinowska
Production: R&D Marketing Solutions
Organiser: Sztuka w Mieście Foundation, Ghelamco Poland
Photos: Katarzyna Średnicka (Media Mafia)
Video: Krzysztof Sobierański (Media Mafia)