Is it possible to bring street art indoors in a way that stays true to its spirit? It turns out the answer is YES, as proven by the LAYUP gallery in Gdansk.
It took me a while to finally visit LAYUP gallery. There’s always so much going on in Gdansk, and every time I visited, something else got in the way. But no more excuses – the time had come to check out the best urban art gallery in Poland!
Table of contents
- Urban Art Gallery: LayUp
- LAYUP Gallery – How Do You Get There?
- The Old Gdansk Shipyard – What Else Should I See?
- Street Art in Gdańsk: What to See?
- LAYUP gallery – Is It Worth Visiting?
Urban Art Gallery: LAYUP
It’s been over a decade since LAYUP gallery first made its mark. Its activities cover a wide range: workshops, poster fairs, film screenings, events, and exhibitions. Personally, I’m most interested in the last one. Or to be more specific – in one particular exhibition: Outsiders, which is exceptional in many ways.
I recently had the chance to see its fourth edition (out of five planned), and it’s only available until July 11th! And let me just say – this exhibition is absolutely INCREDIBLE. Read on to find out why!
Train. Not a Mock-up, but a Real Coach!
The fact that a real train appeared inside the art gallery created quite a buzz.
And the idea makes perfect sense – train pieces are a key part of graffiti history, and often of street art too. Let’s be honest: the best street art is the raw and authentic. So placing just a mock-up would’ve felt… off.
Anyone who’s ever stepped into a train station should appreciate how much work went into making this happen – finding the train, acquiring it, then handling the logistics of transporting and installing it above visitors’ heads. It’s madness – and I absolutely love it!
One Exhibition — but Definitely Not a Static One!
The Outsiders exhibition has been running since 2021. But don’t expect that if you saw it two years ago, nothing has changed since then. Outsiders is a living project — it has already gone through four unique editions, with the next one coming up at the end of July 2025.
Outsiders is an ongoing process — an attempt to portray the life and fate of a City: from its beginnings and birth, through growth, stabilization, degradation, and finally, a spectacular collapse.
So far, we’ve seen Outsiders’21, Outsiders’22, Outsiders’23, and Outsiders’24. I saw the last one, which focused on the idea of “overload” in graffiti, street art, and somehow – advertising. You can felt this theme in the gallery: loads of tags, tons of works, and so many visual layers. A lot of everything!
It really feels like each edition is built around a main idea. And even though I didn’t see the first edition in person, just looking at photos makes me realise how much has changed over time.
What will the next chapter bring when it launches in late July? We will see quite soon.
Locals Are Still in the Spotlight
Not just within the Outsiders exhibition, but in general in LAYUP — you can really feel that they care about the community. Just look at the enormous wall covered with works by 3city writers. Wow!
Street Art, Graffiti, and Advertising. Fighting for the City… and the Gallery?
The fact that you can see graffiti tags, street art pieces, and (redesigned) ads all in one space is just brilliant. When we talk about the city (and the Outsiders exhibition is all about the city), these three worlds constantly overlap — so it is important that none of them was left out here.
A Long-Term Project Supported by the City
From both personal observation and my cultural management studies, I’ve come to one conclusion: it’s pretty rare for a city to support a cultural initiative that lasts more than a year or a season. In a world dominated by short-term grant cycles, it’s refreshing to read that a five-year-long project like this has the backing of the local government. At least, that’s what the poster says. 😉
Run by People Who’ve Actually Had a Can
Last but not least — projects usually make the most sense when they’re led by people who truly know what they’re doing. And that’s definitely the case with Outsiders. Its curators — Krik, Cool “T”, and Hijack — know the scene inside out.
Personally, I love that I get to learn more about graffiti and street art through the perspective of people whose work I’ve actually seen on the city’s walls.
LAYUP Gallery – How Do You Get There?
Have I convinced you to check it out? I hope so — otherwise, you’re seriously missing out. To make things easier, here are a few practical tips on how to get there.
LAYUP is open in the afternoon and evening hours, so there’s no need to rush. The walk from Gdańsk Główny station takes about 15 minutes — unless you stop to snap photos of everything cool you’ll see along the way. 😉
To reach the gallery, head in from Malarzy Street and walk through the 100cznia area. Just follow the signs — they’ll lead you there.
Oh, and good news: entry is free! And here’s their website where you find more details.
The Old Gdansk Shipyard – What Else Should I See?
LAYUP is set in an incredible space — a post-industrial area full of art. It would be a real shame to limit your visit just to the gallery. Take a walk and explore a bit more.
Elektryków Street, 100cznia, the Hall of Fame, the Imperial Shipyard — each of these spots is unique in its own way and definitely worth your time.
Elektryków Street
By day, it’s nearly empty. But by night, it comes alive! Concerts, events, clubs — this place really wakes up after dark. At least during the weekends. 😉
100CZNIA & Hall of Fame
100CZNIA is a pretty fascinating space. Sure, you’ll find food trucks and drinks, but also guys playing football, graffiti writers in action, skaters, and lots of tags and pieces to admire.
Imperial Shipyard
This area is in the middle of a transformation. That’s exactly why now is the best time to see it. Soon it might be gone, or at least completely changed (judging by the photos I took there a few years ago, it might already be). Wander around, peek into corners — you never know what you’ll find. 😉
Street Art in Gdańsk: What to See?
There’s a lot to explore in Gdańsk. If it’s your first time here, make sure to check out my previous article where I dive into the legendary Zaspa district, Stare Miasto, and Wrzeszcz. You’ve got plenty to discover. 😉
LAYUP gallery – Was It Worth Visiting?
Have you ever found yourself somewhere in your own country and thought, “Wait, did I just get teleported abroad?”That’s exactly how I felt during my first visit to LAYUP gallery — a place so phenomenal, even cities like London or Berlin wouldn’t be ashamed to have it.
So, to answer the question in the title: yes, it was absolutely worth it!
That’s all I wanted to say about LAYUP. I’m so glad I got to see it. The project’s over for now. Let’s see what comes next!
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See you!
Karolajn
Part of Streets 