Unsound Presents Ephemera Festival in Warsaw From June 15th - 18th

Occasionally described as Unsound’s younger eccentric sister, the multi-arts Ephemera Festival is back in Warsaw for its fourth edition June 15th - 18th. Inspired by ancient slavic midsummer rituals full of light, music, art and food, Ephemera is not about headliners and huge crowds, but creating narratives that connect local scenes with the latest cultural trends from around the world. Tickets to events are on sale via Going. 

The festival actually begins on June 14th at LETO gallery with the opening of Psizm, a group exhibition devoted to dogs curated by Warsaw artist Bolesław Chromry and Bartosz Zaskórski. Performing live are Mchy i Porosty and Chair – and your dog is also cordially invited. 

On June 15th, Dusk is a celebratory feast for the senses at the Królikarnia Palace, with performances by Kraków's Martyna Basta, Korean experimental musician bela and Norwegian saxophonist Bendik Giske. Afterwards, chefs and artists Pola Sutryk and Pola Salicka present an edible vegan installation, while at the centre of the feast are paintings by Marcin Janusz embodying the spirit of Ephemera, commissioned by the festival for this year’s magical visuals. Tickets here.

At Nowy Teatr on June 16th, Illuminations connects light, sound and music in spectacular ways, with French ambient producer Malibu; a new laser work called Triptych from Robin Fox, inspired by A/V pioneer Stanisław Ostoja-Kotkowski’s early works; and Revanchist, a demonstration of Evian Christ’s vision for trance music with a startling light show designed by Emmanual Baird. Tickets here.

Afterward, Ephemera takes over subterranean club Jasna 1 with Colombia’s Bitter Babe, blending Latin American dancefloor sounds and bass-heavy club music, Hessle Audio’s Toumba from Jordan, Indonesian producer Kasimyn from Gabber Modus Operandi, and Wrocław’s Kitty Sarcasm b2b with Kraków’s Semprey. Bar Stage includes DJ sets from Berlin-based Polish experimental musician jśa, Ukrainian DJ and producer Shjva and Warsaw’s Ania R.. Tickets here.

On June 17th, late afternoon concerts at Studio Polskiego Radia feature Mount Eerie aka Phil Elverum (aka the Microphones), who will give his first performance in Poland in six years, including “new songs from an in-progress album”. Opening is a commissioned collaboration between Teoniki Rożynek and Aleksandra Słyż, two of Poland’s leading younger composers, creating a new work exploring the mysticism of the sun. They will be joined by a brass trio. Tickets here.

Things heat up in the evening at Komuna Warszawa, with Mexico City’s Lucha Lub – a unique and colourful celebration of queer culture and performance inspired by the Mexican wrestling tradition lucha libre. Watch out for an open call to local performers to be part of Lucha Lub, where the guest DJ is BADSISTA. Afterward, the evening will only get crazier, with Balinese duo Gabber Modus Operandi bringing their infamous liveshow, fusing gabber, hardcore, gamelan-inspired rhythms and vocal bursts. Tickets here.

Afterward, Ephemera joins forces with the iconic Dragana Bar party at Odessa club, sharing a mutual love of underground dance music, choreography and socially engaged practices. The event includes Warsaw stars androgienia and KAROLINDA alongside Brazil’s BADSISTA with her collision of techno, baile funk and house, and an explosive, hard-hitting set from estoc, from the U.S. With a plethora of surprising interventions, allow yourself to be swept up! Tickets here.

Head straight from Dragana Bar on June 18th to W Brzask (At Dawn), a beloved Warsaw series presenting ephemeral lineups at sunrise throughout the summer, in the gardens of the Museum of Sculpture at the Królikarnia Palace. This is the second time that W Brzask and Ephemera have curated a session together, with the sun rising to the sounds of Warsaw experimental artist Anna Zaradny with a brief but memorable saxophone-centred set, a solo show from Polish composer and musician Piotr Kurek, then Norwegian-Chilean flautist Johanna Orellana. The session drifts dreamily into the morning with an extended DJ set from the legendary DJ Marcelle / Another Nice Mess. This is a free event.

Ephemera’s closing event later that day at Komuna Warszawa is also free, with Ukrainian musician Heinali creating a live audio-visual performance developed from his album Kyiv Eternal, which collages pre-war field recordings from Kyiv into a moving tribute to the resilience of his hometown. This work will include video made with footage of pre-war Kyiv collected from the public via an open call. Also in the program is a screening of five audiovisual works from the RIDNE project, giving the audience a portal into the reality of war in Ukraine through visual and sonic immersion. RIDNE is produced by Ukrainian music label Standard Deviation and A/V channel Remote Control.

Our full website will be launched shortly, on May 10th, when the program will be slightly expanded with workshops, artist meetings and one or two other surprises. In the meantime, all ticketed events are available via Going.

Follow Ephemera on Instagram and Facebook to keep up with the latest info, and see you soon in Warsaw! 

androgienia (PL) / Anna Zaradny (PL) / Ania R. (PL) / BADSISTA (BR) / bela (KR)/ Bendik Giske (NO) / Bitter Babe (CO) / Chair (PL)

DJ Marcelle / Another Nice Mess (NL) / estoc (US) / Evian Christ - live (UK)

Gabber Modus Operandi (ID) / Heinali pres. Kyiv Eternal (UA)

Johanna Orellana (NO/CL) / jśa (PL) / KAROLINDA (PL) / Kasimyn (ID)

Kitty Sarcasm b2b Semprey (PL) / Lucha Lub (MX/PL/BR) / Malibu (FR)

Marcin Janusz (PL) / Martyna Basta (PL) / Mount Eerie (US) / Piotr Kurek (PL)

Pola Sutryk and Pola Salicka (PL) / RIDNE (UA) / Robin Fox pres. Triptych (AU) Shjva (PL) / Teoniki Rożynek & Aleksandra Słyż (PL) / Toumba (JO)