Sopot is a city in constant flux, where urban space undergoes cyclical transformations in tune with the rhythm of the seasons. What serves as the everyday backdrop to residents’ lives is quickly reconfigured into an intensely exploited tourist landscape. In his project, Paweł Jaśkiewicz focuses on transitional spaces – sites that exist between states: not yet filled with movement, but already marked by the traces of imminent change.

Cities with a strong tourist identity, such as Sopot, operate within a perpetual cycle of transformation. In summer, they are subject to intense use; in the off-season, they remain suspended, waiting for the next metamorphosis. Spaces that serve defined functions at the height of the season become, at other times, what Marc Augé has termed non-places – areas without stable identity or emotional grounding, existing only as functional transit points. Essential yet often overlooked.

The photographs presented in the exhibition were taken during the artist’s residency in May 2025 – a period of preparation and anticipation, when the city functioned on two rhythms at once. Temporary structures were being assembled, public spaces reshaped for the demands ahead, and architectural elements began to assume their seasonal character. At the same time, many sites remained undefined, waiting for their function.

This transformation is particularly evident in the relationship between Lower and Upper Sopot. Lower Sopot, dominated by tourism, becomes a site of intense seasonal activity, its spaces heavily restructured to meet visitors’ needs. Out of season, many of these locations lose their purpose – either closed or left temporarily vacant. Upper Sopot, by contrast, follows a quieter rhythm: here, the seasons exert a subtler influence, and space is less subject to dramatic change. This contrast creates markedly different ways of experiencing the city.

Jaśkiewicz’s photographs capture the fragile boundary between permanence and temporariness. His project invites reflection on how Sopot’s transitional spaces are transformed – and how these shifts alter the way we perceive them.

The project was realised with the support of Fujifilm Poland.

Exhibition open:
Tuesday–Sunday: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM