Our Purpose & Mission
Art as Necessity
The Fundacja Sztuk Performatywnych "Nostalgic Boys" is devoted to the creation, promotion, and development of distinct works of theatre, dance, performance art, and other interdisciplinary art forms. For us, performance art is an inseparable element of social life; through our efforts, we attempt to engage people in discussion, make them reflect on something. We try to give space for experiments not only to the performers but to the spectators as well. We try to provide grounds for distinctive, original, and provocative performance art to flourish.
The Body as Primary Language
We base our practice on a philosophical belief in the body as the main language of performance. We work with and through the body - the weight of it, its breath, memory and its potential for transformation. The body is not only a choice in our art practice, but a philosophical belief that the truth cannot be conveyed through verbal communication but through physical one.
Our inspirations come in various forms, but all of them relate to the body: contemporary dance, physical theatre, performance art, visual art, ecology, philosophy, as well as any other tool that could give us new ideas regarding the body.
Rigour is another principle of our practice. We believe that good performance is based on rigorous thinking and rigorous research – the research of movements, dramaturgy, relation between the performers and spectators. We need time to work on the idea and we expect the same from our collaborators and partners.
Our Core Purposes
Creation of Original Works
There is a wide range of shows, including large shows designed for performance in international festivals and small ones, performed in the studio for a smaller audience. We always start each of our projects with the artistic concept and then study and implement it through the entire creative process. Every artistic concept is thoroughly analyzed by us, since we try to make sure that all of our shows are unique and high-quality.
Production & Presentation
Through creating our own projects, we also try to assist the artists who follow our notion of collaboration and creativity. Through collaborating with theaters, festivals, galleries, and other cultural institutions from Poland as well as other countries, we create and perform modern shows for different audiences. Consequently, artists get an opportunity to showcase their valuable work, while we showcase ours.
International Collaboration
We can give support to those artists who share the same vision of collaboration and creativity by means of implementing our projects. Collaborating with theatres, festivals, galleries, and other culture organizations not only in Poland but also abroad, we make our performances. In such a way, artists receive an opportunity to exhibit their amazing art, as well as we have the same opportunity.
Interdisciplinary Practice
Our work is collaboration. It is very much fun for us to collaborate with various artists from varied disciplines such as theater, dance, visual arts, music, philosophy, ecology and others. Every new project gets enriched due to exchange of ideas, and in turn, we discover new means of expressions and create unique performances. Collaboration across various fields of discipline helps us to grow as artists but at the same time keeps us connected with our audiences.
Documentation & Archive
The documentation of our activity is an important part of the artistic process. Because of the possibility to document our performance using different methods, including photography, videos, writing down our reflections, and so on, we manage to get the evidence of the result of our performance as well as the whole artistic process preceding it. This is a good opportunity for us to look back at our performances, to share our activities with wider audiences, and to document the artistic process of our organization.
Cultural Development
The goal we wish to achieve in terms of creating a cultural environment in Poland lies in helping artists and cooperating with the promotion of performing arts. We are absolutely convinced that it is only due to the independent cultural institutions that there is a possibility for conducting such experiments, cultivating talents, and implementing projects which will inspire people to think and discuss.
What Guides Our Work
Artistic Integrity. Quality, creativity, and artistic integrity have always been the foremost considerations in everything that we do. Everything we create should come from the conviction that we believe in what we are doing. It is not just about creating something popular and convenient but making something substantial enough to establish a lasting relationship with the viewer.
Rigour. It is our firm belief that good art arises from good research, collaboration, and proper creativity. We do not rush projects but allow enough time for them to grow organically so that each performance becomes a representation of originality and artistic expression.
Openness. After all, we are always open to new ideas, discoveries, and teamwork. With each project, we get an opportunity to learn something new, to try out something new, and to explore the possibilities of working in new ways. Rather than following just one method of art, we remain open to a variety of methods, of arts, and of creativity to make our productions the most efficient ones.
Presence. In our opinion, the performance provides a unique opportunity for both the artists and the audience to share an experience right in the present moment. Though we keep trying our hand in working with the new media and performing online, our main philosophy remains connected with interaction, presence, and communication. No matter what kind of performance we try to create, whether in the theatre or via the Internet, we aim at uniting people.
Memory. Both our work and our body reflect the past inside of us. It is something we question about the remembered, the forgotten, and that which stays even after everything is gone.
Our Vision
Our dream is that of a world where artists can use imagination to produce their works in a creative manner, free from any constraints which may inhibit their creativity. We would love to belong to a world where contemporary performance is open to everyone and recognized as a vital component of culture. By promoting cooperation and creativity, we aim to help build a world where performances will serve an important purpose in broadening our horizons of thinking.
We would like to increase the international recognition of the Polish contemporary performing arts by creating new works and collaborations, thus participating in cultural exchanges. We want to expose the talent of Polish artists to the rest of the world while embracing new perspectives coming from the international community of artists. Each of our new projects brings us closer to accomplishing this goal.
We are Fundacja Sztuk Performatywnych "Nostalgic Boys." We are nostalgic, and we are a tiger.
Support Our Mission
If you find yourself interested in our art and our organization, then we would like to contact you and provide you with multiple opportunities to collaborate. You may cooperate with us, become one of our cultural partners, finance our projects, visit our performances, or even donate to us – there are numerous ways for you to join our cause. And it should be noted that cultural heritage is always the result of collaboration.
Contact Us See Our Works