Ilona Karwińska – Director and the Founder of the Neon Muzeum, Warsaw

Ilona Karwińska, British/Polish fine art photographer, specializes in anthropological portraiture and world cultures. Based in London, she has travelled throughout the Middle East, particularly Lebanon and Syria, documenting the lives and cultures of the Levantine people. Ilona is a graduate of Goldsmiths College, and the London College of Printing, with an MA in Image and Communication.

Her groundbreaking photographic project ‘Polish Cold War Neon’ explores the disappearing world of cold era neon graphics and has received much critical acclaim. Since its inaugural exhibition in Covent Garden, London, her neon documentation project has been exhibited in Warsaw’s Palace of Culture & Science, the Fondation de l’Architecture, Luxembourg, WM Gallery Amsterdam, and at the Museum of Architecture in Wrocław. Her latest photographic publication is entitled ‘Neon Revolution – Eastern Bloc Electro Graphic Design’ (published by The Neon Muzeum) and covers the entire visual history of the state commissioned neonisation campaign across the former Eastern Bloc. The publication includes a comprehensive introduction by former United Nations Under Secretary General – Jeffrey Feltman, where he vividly describes his experience – and fascination with neon signs – as a young American diplomat in Budapest at the end of the communist regime. Further in-depth contributions by Professor David Crowley (National College of Art and Design, Dublin) brings deeper historical context to the unique story of cold war era neonisation.

Ilona is also the Co-Founder and Director of Europe’s first Neon Muzeum – which is dedicated to the documentation and preservation of Poland’s Cold War Neon signs. As a result of her pioneering project, the Neon Muzeum was named ‘One of the  Best City Museums Europe’ by the Guardian newspaper in 2020.

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