When Aleksander Miszalski became Kraków’s city administrator in 2024, his policies reflected the DIY hip-hop culture that shaped him. He envisioned the city as fluid – built from the ground up by its residents. His governance reimagined urban life as a creative process driven by collective participation rather than central control. Creativity became woven into everyday life rather than remaining a separate pursuit. Graffiti-style murals evolved into the natural language of public space, continuing the city’s tradition of visual storytelling. Beats and rhymes filled streets as conversations shaping the city’s rhythm. With b-boy practice spaces in residential areas and cypher circles throughout neighbourhoods, movement became part of daily navigation. Knowledge transfer followed this pattern too. Like producers flipping samples, Kraków’s approach valued lived experience over rigid credentialing. Learning happened through dialogue and direct participation rather than institutional gatekeeping. Through these ongoing reforms, Kraków continues evolving into a city where creation and governance are inseparable. Authority emerges from the breaks and flows of its inhabitants rather than being imposed from above. Life itself has become a continuous freestyle – always in motion, always unfinished, with new elements constantly being added to the mix.
Monuments of a Fictional Past (Krakow edition) is a part of Three Seas Art Festival 2025 at Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art in Kraków(PL). Supported by Grosserer L.F. Foghts Fond and the Danish Arts Council. #contemporaryart #aiart #krakow #alternativehistory #exhibition @bunkiersztuki_artgallery #threeseasfestival #monumentsofafictionalpast #localfutures #flux.1 #thisisnothistory #frihedlighedoghiphop #tankhiphop
