Gdańsk Jewellery Week 2026: Bronze Medal “Zasłużony Kulturze Gloria Artis” for Marcin Tymiński

The exhibition “Historie, które wydarzyły się naprawdę” (Stories That Really Happened) was one of the most important exhibitions of Gdańsk Jewellery Week 2026. At the opening, Marcin Tymiński received the Bronze Medal “Zasłużony Kulturze Gloria Artis” (Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture). The decoration was presented by Beata Rutkiewicz, Governor of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, accompanied by Prof. Andrzej Szadkowski.

For many participants of Gdańsk Jewellery Week 2026, it was one of the most symbolic moments of the entire festival. The distinction was not only an honor for more than thirty years of the artist's creative work, but also a reminder of how important a role contemporary designers and artists play in building a new image of Baltic amber. Thanks to such makers, amber does not remain only a jewelry material. It becomes a medium of art, personal storytelling and contemporary design.

A Personal Record of 30 Years

Some exhibitions are viewed for their form. Others for their story. In the case of Marcin Tymiński's exhibition, it was hard to separate the one from the other. Presented at the Amber Museum in Gdańsk, the exhibition is a personal record of more than thirty years in the creative career of one of the most recognizable Polish jewelry artists. Every work on display was something more than an ornament. Necklaces, brooches, bracelets and rings were created under the influence of specific experiences, emotions and events, which the author translated into the language of form, color and material.

From Jewelry to Small Sculpture

Walking through the exhibition, one could quickly see that this is not a classic presentation of jewelry. Marcin Tymiński's work operates on the border of goldsmithing, sculpture and contemporary art. Geometric forms, abstract references to nature and original technologies of working with polymers make many of his pieces resemble miniature sculptures worn on the body.

Experiments with Materials

For years the artist has experimented with materials, combining Baltic, Dominican and Mexican amber with silver, gold and, in his latest works, also diamonds. The result is objects that carry not only aesthetic qualities but also ideas and personal narratives.

Two-Time Winner of the Amberif Design Award

In many of the works on display, Baltic amber has a special place. In Marcin Tymiński's hands it loses its stereotypical character and gains an entirely contemporary language. The facets and surfaces of his objects scatter light, emphasizing the natural beauty of the material and showing it in a new light.

It is no accident that for years the artist has been among the most important Polish makers of art jewelry; he has been designing and creating for more than three decades, and his work has been shown in museums and galleries in Poland and abroad. A special place in his body of work is held by the Amberif Design Award, the most important international competition for amber jewelry design. Marcin Tymiński won its highest distinction, the Grand Prix of the Mayor of the City of Gdańsk, twice, in 2017 and 2020, joining the most decorated laureates in the history of the competition.

Gdańsk Jewellery Week is organized by Międzynarodowe Targi Gdańskie S.A. (Gdańsk International Fair Co.), operator of the Gdańsk – World Amber Capital strategy. One of its aims is to promote the most outstanding makers associated with amber and to develop contemporary design. Marcin Tymiński's exhibition and the awarding of the Bronze Medal “Zasłużony Kulturze Gloria Artis” to the artist during Gdańsk Jewellery Week 2026 showed that the world amber capital remains a place where Baltic amber meets culture and art of the highest quality.