The project grew out of TOP CHARITY – the philanthropic initiative launched by Omenaa Mensah and Rafał Brzoska in 2022. It began with a desire to make the artworks donated to the charity auction accessible to a wider audience. The exhibition extended the project’s reach beyond those attending the gala, creating a space where visitors could discover the works, their creators and their stories before their sale helped support social, educational and cultural projects. 

Over time, TOP CHARITY ART has evolved into a multifaceted exhibition programme. Alongside the pre-auction displays, it has introduced presentations of OmenaArt Foundation’s African art collection, projects supporting artists’ development, and a Sculpture Garden. Collaboration with museums, galleries and private collectors makes it possible to present works beyond the auction catalogue – many of them rarely accessible to Polish audiences.

At the heart of TOP CHARITY ART is a commitment to creating opportunities for direct encounters with art. The project welcomes both experienced collectors and those just beginning to explore contemporary culture. By bringing together works by artists from different generations and backgrounds, it encourages visitors to recognise connections between history and the present, local traditions and global change. Guided tours and talks with curators help audiences explore the meanings of the works and the ideas behind them. 

An important complement to the exhibitions is the “Heritage in Our Hands” educational programme, designed for children and young people, including those in residential care. Encounters with artworks and hands-on workshops nurture artistic sensitivity, develop skills in interpreting art and foster an appreciation of cultural heritage. In this way, TOP CHARITY ART becomes not only a place to present creative work, but also a space for learning, conversation and independent discovery. 

The project also brings together different ways of supporting the artistic community. Exhibiting artworks raises their visibility, while related auction initiatives help fund scholarships, residencies and further projects. Within this model, artists support philanthropic initiatives, and philanthropy creates new opportunities for art to develop.

Between 2023 and 2026, four editions of the exhibition were held in Warsaw. Each expanded the programme, broadened the range of participating artists and proposed new relationships between the artworks and their historic setting. 

17 April – 16 June 2026 

The fourth edition of TOP CHARITY ART comprised three sections: the main presentation of pre-auction artworks, a further selection from OmenaArt Foundation’s African art collection, and a selection from Phenomenaa Gallery. Large-scale works in the Sculpture Garden complemented the programme. The exhibition was curated by Natalia Bradbury, with exhibition design by Małgorzata Góra together with OR Team. 

Among the highlights were Ewa Juszkiewicz’s “Grove”, Amoako Boafo’s “Laced Fingers” and Ibrahim Mahama’s “Hymns for the Rebel Soul”. Their juxtaposition opened a conversation about portraiture, identity, representation and memory embedded in materials. The exhibition also featured Magdalena Abakanowicz’s “Bird II” and Paweł Althamer’s “Erico” – a bust dedicated to a young Kenyan volunteer who died during protests in Nairobi in 2024. 

Ibrahim Mahama’s monumental installation “Sika Asem” played a central role. Stitched-together jute sacks, bearing traces of previous use, brought a story of labour, trade and the circulation of materials into the Orangery. The installation was accompanied by Rita Mawuena Benissan’s “The Words of a Man’s Mouth are Deep Waters”, embroidered on velvet and rooted in Asante cultural heritage. Both works revealed how materials can preserve history and give it contemporary expression. 

The diversity of the exhibition was further highlighted by Philip Colbert’s “Flower III (with Dots)”, Charlotte Colbert’s “Out with Lanterns”, Tomasz Koclęga’s “Lux Mentis” and Krzysztof Renes’s “He, Venus, Youth” from the “Universale 4000×5” series. The selection from Phenomenaa Gallery, meanwhile, expanded the presentation of contemporary African and non-European art, connecting its exhibition activities with support for the Foundation’s artistic, educational and social projects.

25 April – 24 June 2025 

The third edition was divided into four sections: TOP CHARITY Auction, Artis Arundo Spotlight, a presentation of OmenaArt Foundation’s African art collection, and the Sculpture Garden, developed in collaboration with Opera Gallery. The curatorial team comprised Natalia Bradbury and Isabel de Vasconcellos, with exhibition design by Boris Kudlička. Amedeo Modigliani’s “Tête de Cariatide” served as a symbolic link between the sections, evoking the connections between European modern art and the aesthetics of African sculpture. 

The pre-auction section featured Tadeusz Kantor’s “Parapluie-emballage”; three objects by Jeff Koons – “Balloon Monkey (Orange)”, “Balloon Rabbit (Violet)” and “Balloon Swan (Magenta)”; Maciej Kasperski’s “Megaphone” from the “Layers” series; Rita Mawuena Benissan’s “The Wisdom from Above III”; and Yaw Owusu’s “We Face Forward”. Bringing these works together revealed a diversity of materials, visual languages and ways of understanding the contemporary world. 

A separate section marked the first presentation of a selection from the Foundation’s growing African art collection. Works included El Anatsui’s “Sleeping Cloth”, Ibrahim Mahama’s “NANDANBIA”, Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga’s “Nature Morte 3”, Zanele Muholi’s “Self” from the “Only Half the Picture” series, and LR Vandy’s “Resistance”. The display introduced the practices of artists connected primarily with sub-Saharan Africa, opening a conversation about memory, identity and the cultural significance of materials. 

The Sculpture Garden extended the exhibition experience beyond the interiors of the Orangery. Against a Baroque backdrop, visitors encountered works including Niki de Saint Phalle’s “The Prophet”, Bernar Venet’s “86.5° Arc x 8”, Pieter Obels’s “The Story I Heard”, Xavier Mascaró’s “Queen” and Anthony James’s “50″ Triacontahedron (Solar Black)”. These were complemented by sculptures by Pablo Atchugarry and Manolo Valdés. A walk through the gardens became an opportunity to discover art in relation to light, landscape and architecture. 

Artis Arundo Spotlight, meanwhile, showcased work by artists including Aleksandra Liput, Kamil Kukla, Helena Stiasny, Courage Hunke and Mariusz Szypura. An online auction linked to the exhibition supported development programmes for the artistic community. 

25 April – 30 June 2024 

The second edition developed the dialogue between established artists and younger generations. It was curated by Natalia Bradbury, with exhibition design once again by Boris Kudlička. Three monumental cast-iron “Walking Figures” by Magdalena Abakanowicz held a prominent place. Painting and sculpture were presented alongside photography and objects created using new technologies. 

The pre-auction section included Igor Mitoraj’s “Torso alato”, Magdalena Abakanowicz’s “Anatomy” and Marcin Maciejowski’s “I Am Not an Ideology”. Janek Simon’s “Meta Folklore v 0.3.8”, created using 3D printing, represented a different approach to working with form. The exhibition also featured works by Wojciech Fangor, Barbara Falender, Bartosz Kokosiński, Lia Kimura and Maurycy Gomulicki, while the gardens hosted sculptures by Michał Jackowski, Igor Dobrowolski and Gomulicki. 

An important development was a separate presentation curated by Anda Rottenberg, who invited Mirosław Bałka, Monika Sosnowska, Nicolas Grospierre, Małgorzata Mirga-Tas and Katarzyna Krakowiak-Bałka. All had participated in the Venice Art or Architecture Biennale. Their works were donated to an auction held during the Charity Collectors’ Dinner, supporting scholarships for young artists through the Artis Arundo programme.

9 May – 25 June 2023, Warsaw, Poland 

The first edition of TOP CHARITY ART also marked OmenaArt Foundation’s exhibition debut. It attracted almost 50,000 visitors and was curated by Hanna Wróblewska, with exhibition design by Boris Kudlička. 

One of the most distinctive works was Manolo Valdés’s “Reina Mariana”, a sculpture referencing Diego Velázquez’s portraits of the Spanish court. Magdalena Abakanowicz’s work also held a prominent place, including “Figure with Open Arms” and two outdoor sculptures lent by the Centre of Polish Sculpture in Orońsko. The exhibition also introduced Polish audiences to works by Korean artist Chun Kwang Young. 

Other works on display included Nikola Vudrag’s “Iron Maiden”, Xawery Wolski’s “Links of Infinity E”, a work from Abakanowicz’s “Anonymous Portraits” series, and Cyryl Zakrzewski’s “Nexus” lamp and “Flow” chair. Works by Patrick Tagoe-Turkson, Maria Papa-Rostkowska, Igor Mitoraj, Angelika Markul and Rafał Bujnowski expanded the narrative to encompass further media and perspectives. From its very first edition, TOP CHARITY ART demonstrated how sculpture, painting and design could come together in a shared space for encounters with art. 

We invite artists, collectors, galleries and cultural institutions to collaborate on future editions of TOP CHARITY ART. Lending an artwork, taking part in the exhibition programme or supporting educational activities are different ways to help shape a project that brings art to new audiences and builds relationships across borders. We would be delighted to discuss opportunities to get involved and develop projects together. Contact: [email protected].