2023-11-14

On November 7, 2023, at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Kuwait, thanks to the involvement and support of Anna Godoj-Ciszkowska - Chargé d'affaires in Kuwait, an event promoting Baltic amber was held. The meeting was organized by the team of the Polish Embassy in Kuwait and the International Amber Association. The event was attended by Ph.D., D.Sc., Eng. Ewa Wagner-Wysiecka, prof. PG - vice-president of IAA (Faculty of Chemistry of the Gdańsk University of Technology), director of the IAA office Małgorzata Siudak and representative of IAA for the GCC countries (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain) - Aleksandra Harasiuk.

During the meeting, Professor Ewa Wagner-Wysiecka presented the phenomenon of Baltic amber to the gathered guests - art lovers, amber gallery owners and amber collectors - in a lecture entitled: "Baltic amber - current state of knowledge." “Baltic amber is an extraordinary material known to people since time immemorial. There are no two identical pieces of amber - just like people are different. On the other hand, we are all similar. Therefore, in my opinion, amber is a unique bridge connecting people," she said, among other things, summarizing the lecture. Małgorzata Siudak, in her presentation: "International Amber Association - a place where science meets art", presented the areas of activity and activity of the association, which is the only one in the world that brings together producers, scientists, artists and collectors, promotes knowledge about Baltic amber, runs an amber laboratory and a Gallery IAA. The meeting ended with the presentation of a film about amber: "The short story about Baltic amber" and an invitation to the international Amberif SPRING fair in Gdańsk.

The event was accompanied by the exhibition "Baltic amber. Treasure from Poland” presenting jewelry, sculptures, paintings, accessories made of Baltic amber, by IAA members: Iman Abdallah - Iman's Jewelery, Monika Adamczyk - RE:SIN, Krzysztof Basiukiewicz - RAV, Oleg Blazhkevych - Your Amber, Monika Błaszkowska - Amber Decor , Marcin Bogusław, Daria Burkowska - DORBUR, Ireneusz Glaza - CHILLI Jewelery, Aleksander Gliwiński, Wojciech Kalandyk - ART7, Tomasz Kargul - Kargul TK.

The exhibition continued in the 360 Mall, where on November 8-10, 2023, visitors had the opportunity to take a closer look at objects created by IAA members. The background of the exhibition was educational materials, thanks to which visitors could learn about the history of amber's formation, learn about important historical objects made of amber, learn about the activities of the IAA amber laboratory, and learn why Gdańsk is known as the World Capital of Amber.

- A feature of Middle Eastern cultures is building relationships, and this requires time and many direct contacts. Therefore, we are extremely pleased with the result of two years of preparations for meetings with representatives of public institutions and organizations associating entrepreneurs in Kuwait. Despite the pandemic and subsequent geopolitical changes, we tried to implement the above-mentioned projects as effectively as possible. events, with the support of the employees of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland as partners. The Kuwaiti market is friendly to our industry because Baltic amber lovers form a large group of collectors, traders and experts who share their knowledge with subsequent generations. Our meetings took place at the perfect time, because, as they themselves admitted, it was time to support them with professional expertise and research results of Polish scientists. In turn, the presented amber jewelry for women is a total revelation and delight in the designs of Polish designers, which shows how much their market is dominated by amber accessories and objects for men - added Aleksandra Harasiuk.

The event met with great interest from the local community. Representatives of the Association hope that their activities will have a positive impact on the relations between the two countries, and amber is visible in Kuwait at every step in the form of amber Muslim rosaries, the so-called misbah, we will also see in the future in the form of modern jewelry by outstanding artists and producers from Poland.