statement

Michał Gdak is an architect and sculptor working at the intersection of architecture, art, and design. 

His work is based on a close reading of context. Each project begins with the analysis of a specific place—its spatial conditions, history, material processes, and patterns of use. From these observations, he identifies forms, structures, and relationships that can be translated into spatial interventions.

 His practice moves between object, installation, and public space. Rather than introducing arbitrary forms, he develops solutions that emerge from the logic of the site and reinterpret its existing qualities.

Design is treated as a tool for improving the quality of everyday space, while art allows for the introduction of tension, reflection, and meaning. The aim is to create situations that encourage the viewer to pause, engage, or act—whether through perception, movement, or interaction.

Many of his projects are developed in relation to their future users, with a focus on strengthening the social dimension of public space.

bio

Michał Gdak (b. 1980) is an architect and sculptor based in Kielce, Poland.

He studied architecture at TU Delft, Vitus Bering University College, and Wrocław University of Science and Technology, and sculpture at the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław and in Valencia.

He worked at OMA in Rotterdam and has participated in exhibitions, symposia, and workshops. Alongside his artistic practice, he has led academic courses and design workshops.

Between 2013 and 2020, he co-coordinated the Italian Design School and co-founded the Public Space Studio at the Institute of Design in Kielce.

Together with landscape architect Ewelina Gdak, he develops projects within Gdak Studio, focusing on the improvement and social strengthening of public space.

He was a member of the curatorial team representing Poland at the 16th Venice Architecture Biennale. Since 2025, he has served as Artistic Commissioner of the International Ceramic and Sculpture Symposium in Bolesławiec.

His work has received multiple awards in art and architecture, including the Good Design (Dobry Wzór) award from the Institute of Industrial Design in Warsaw for the project Urban Lounge.