Great, but at what cost? | exhibition openining – a space for conversation

About the event

‘Great, but at what cost?’ is an exhibition and a space for discussion about ADHD, productivity standards and societal perceptions of success. Its starting point is the tension between what is visible – achievement, agency, a job well done, an exemplary biography – and what usually remains out of the frame: overload, masking, paralysis of action, over-control and the emotional cost inherent in everyday functioning.

We are interested in ADHD beyond the most easily recognisable stereotype: the image of a ‘naughty’ boy from primary school who causes trouble, doesn’t pay attention, and behaves inappropriately. The exhibition draws attention to other, often less visible aspects of ADHD: perfectionism, over-responsibility, hyperfocus, the ability to act at the last minute, difficulties with relaxation and compensatory strategies that, from the outside, may appear to be exceptional effectiveness.

The educational dimension of the exhibition stems from the need to expand the language we use to talk about ADHD. We are keen to create a space for collaboration where knowledge does not flow in one direction. Individuals with ADHD, their loved ones, educators and the general public can come together to discuss questions about functioning conditions, masking and everyday survival strategies. Learning from each other becomes a curatorial practice here: a way of building a deeper understanding that stems from mindfulness of different experiences.

‘Great, but at what cost?’ asks what happens when success becomes the most obvious form of invisibility. When does ‘you’re doing great’ stop being a neutral compliment and start masking tension? What costs are pushed outside the biography of achievements? What language do we need to talk about ADHD without oversimplification and without stigmatisation? The exhibition invites us to discuss neurodivergence as an experience that requires certain conditions, relationships and institutional sensitivity. What is at stake is a deep understanding: one that allows you to see not only the result, but also the effort hidden beneath its surface.

About the artists

Krystian Kamiński (he/him) – linguist, educator, translator and curator of artistic and social activities. He works in the Cultural Projects Department of the Goethe-Institut in Lublin. He combines language, art, education and equality initiatives; he is interested in culture as a tool for social change: a space where difficult, necessary or long-overdue conversations can be initiated, where uncomfortable topics can be broached and where it can be seen how artistic storytelling expands the scope of shared experience.

A person diagnosed with ADHD two years ago. For years, he operated as a ‘golden child’: eloquent, quick, effective and commanding – one of those who will speak, write, handle things, improvise and even come up with a nice punchline. He can describe chaos so convincingly that, for a moment, it looks like order. A regular payer of the ADHD tax: the additional cost of living in a world designed for a different organisation of attention, time and energy. A master of camouflage and functioning under stress, a sommelier of sensory hypersensitivity to certain foods, a veteran of difficulties in initiating action. The diagnosis and treatment primarily brought him relief: they allowed him to better understand his own ways of working, to more precisely identify his needs and to separate responsibility from shame.

Paulina Mazurek (she/her) – born in 1995, an intermedia artist, animator, curator and community activist. She works with the broadly defined medium of photography, video, analogue collage, digital editing, and installations. She often works with her own image and archival materials. She employs relational aesthetics and the poetics of care, initiating safe spaces for encounter in art. Associated with the Museum of Housing Estates in Lublin, where she is responsible for relationship-building activities and the integration of the local community. Together with Michał Tokarz, she forms the Kolektyw [ZOBACZ JAK] group, which received the 2025 Żurawie Cultural Award in the ‘Painting’ category. In their practice, they employ the language of humour and playful nonsense, deconstructing established conventions of material culture and social rituals.

She has not received an official ADHD diagnosis, although she identifies as an individual with ADHD. Like Krystian, he has been a ‘golden child’ since birth, who will do everything perfectly, spectacularly, with great fanfare, while concealing paralysis and hidden costs. When the streak of successes was interrupted, the elaborately constructed world collapsed for a moment, only to shine again after a while and impress with its design. Today, she learns that done is better than perfect, and even that not everything has to be done. For her, neurodiversity is an area in which she seeks understanding: of her environment and of herself. She tries to operate at a slower pace and to look at herself with a greater degree of understanding.

Curator: Agata Sztorc-Gromaszek

The ‘Art of Sensitivity’ project was co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund.

Details

When:
20 November 2026, 18:00 | opening reception
23 November – 10 December 2026 | exhibition | Monday to Friday from 10:00-17:00 and during selected events accompanying the exhibition

Where: Workshops of Culture in Lublin, Grodzka 7, exhibition hall, 2nd floor
For: no age restrictions
Free admission

Accessibility

• Exhibition opening interpreted into Polish Sign Language (PJM). Translator: Jolanta Gromada.
• Live captions and an induction loop will be available during the opening. Assistive listening equipment provided by Stowarzyszenie Otwieracz.
• The event takes place on the second floor. There is no lift.
• Let us know about your individual accessibility needs using the form.
• Read the basic accessibility information about the Workshops of Culture.
• Find out how to get there – watch the video.

We invite you to take part in the events accompanying the exhibition.