Karolina Krzywicka

Art historian, cultural manager, and museum professional. Senior Curator (kustosz) at the Andrzej Wawrzyniak Asia and Pacific Museum in Warsaw. Curator of the Central Asian collection.

Author of exhibitions and accompanying publications dedicated to the material culture and art of Central Asian and Middle Eastern countries: Silks, Felts, and Carnelians: Costumes of Central Asia from the Collection of the Asia and Pacific Museum in Warsaw, Nusantara Gallery, 2007 (co-authored with M. Ginter-Frołow); Azure and Turquoise: Traditional Uzbek and Tajik Ceramics from the Collection of the Asia and Pacific Museum in Warsaw (2011); Ethnic Jewelry of Afghanistan from the Collection of the Asia and Pacific Museum in Warsaw (2012); Colors of Life: Suzani – Embroidered Textiles from Central Asia from the Collection of the Asia and Pacific Museum (2016); Turkmens: The Art of Everyday Life (2017); The Power of Silver: Traditional Jewelry from Arab Countries (2018); Works of Artists of Arab Origin in Poland (2018); Orient & Ornament: Paintings by Olga Wolniak (2019); and Nomadic Jewelry of Central Asia from the Collection of Maria Magdalena Kwiatkiewicz at the YES Gallery in Poznań (2023). Co-creator of the permanent exhibition Journeys to the East at the Asia and Pacific Museum in Warsaw.

In 2007, she was a fellow of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Iran. She is a member of the Polish Institute of World Art Studies and the World Society for the Study, Preservation and Popularization of the Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan.

She conducts research on the material culture of Central Asia, with a particular focus on the art and artistic crafts of Uzbekistan, which she has been visiting regularly for 20 years. From 2019 to 2022, she took part in the international project Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the World Collections, contributing scholarly texts to the publication Art of Uzbekistan in the Polish Museums. She has twice participated as a speaker at the international Rishtan Pottery Forum in Rishtan, including serving as a jury member (2025), and at the International Crafts Festival in Kokand.

Cultural manager and organizer of numerous cultural and artistic events carried out in collaboration with Asian diasporas and Asian diplomatic missions in Poland.

Speaker and guest lecturer specializing in art history, Central Asian art and culture, Islamic art and architecture, and intercultural communication.

Her research areas and interests include the material culture of Central Asia and the Middle East, Islamic art and architecture, ethno-design, the role of craftsmanship in shaping cultural identity in Central Asia, and cultural diplomacy.