Katarzyna Wielga-Skolimowska – Artistic Director of the German Federal Cultural Foundation

After returning from Israel, Wielga-Skolimowska worked for the National Audiovisual Institute (today: Filmoteka Narodowa – Instytut Audiowizualny). In 2011, she was responsible for the cultural programme of the Polish EU Council presidency: “Art for Social Change – sztuka dla zmiany społecznej”. According to the abstract on the culture.pl portal, the aim of the programme was to inspire artists and the general public to “adopt a creative stance which increases artistic and social awareness and inspires critical reflection on culture and civilisation.”[5]

In 2013, Katarzyna Wielga-Skolimowka beat the competition to become head of the Polish Institute in Berlin. She remained in this post for three years. As during the Polish Year in Israel, she did not limit her activities to presenting Polish culture in large-scale individual events, instead seeking contact with local artists as well as promoting smaller-scale initiatives. In 2016, the surprise decision by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to remove the head of the Berlin branch from office with immediate effect caused a great deal of consternation in the culture scene. There was speculation in the media that Wielga-Skoliowska’s refusal to organise a screening of the film “Smoleńsk” in Berlin had led to her downfall. Others suggested that Wielga-Skolimowska had focused too strongly on Jewish topics. She herself refrained from commenting on what had happened, not least since she was officially still an employee of the Ministry.

The German cultural institutions that collaborated with the Polish Institute in Berlin were horrified by the decision to remove Katarzyna Wielga-Skolimowska from office. In December 2016, around a dozen representatives of the cultural scene wrote to the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Germany, Andrzej Przyłębski, and to Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski, expressing their “shock and incomprehension”[6] over her dismissal. Their statement read as follows: “Ms Wielga-Skolimowka has succeeded, through joint projects with a historical and cultural focus, in fostering a greater appreciation of contemporary Poland; it is thanks to her commitment and outstanding work that the people of Berlin have become aware of Polish culture. You will not find a better advocate for Poland”.[7]