CO U LICHA? Association – Cultural Studio
Ancient Tales. Contemporary Meanings.
In the past, things people could not explain took the form of a zmora (nightmare spirit), a strzygoń (revenant) or a mamuna (a female forest demon). Today, we return to these stories because they reveal far more about human nature than about the demons themselves.
OUR IDEA
We are interested in the human experiences hidden behind ancient myths, beliefs and local stories. Where did demons, monsters and supernatural beings come from? What fears, desires and visions brought them to life?
And why do so many of these stories remain surprisingly relevant today?
We believe that ancient tales still have something to tell us.
We just need to find a new language for them.
OUR MISSION
We creatively reinterpret the cultural heritage of Central and Eastern Europe. We bring together contemporary art, anthropology, film, new technologies and experience design with educational, research and documentation activities.
We foster dialogue between generations and cultures, discovering new ways of understanding and experiencing our shared heritage.
Projects
Ancient Beliefs. New Ways of Storytelling.
Film, sculpture, installation, exhibition. We draw on myths, folk beliefs and forgotten stories, searching within them for traces of human fears, desires and ways of understanding the world. Then we give them new, contemporary forms.
Złe śmierci (Unquiet Dead)
Documentary Film | 2024
Why were we sometimes more afraid of the dead than of the living?
In traditional folk beliefs, death did not always mean the end. Some of the dead were thought to return, haunt their loved ones and even threaten the living. Extraordinary funeral rituals and so-called anti-vampire burials bear witness to these fears.
Złe śmierci is a documentary journey into the world of ancient beliefs about revenants and the returning dead. Researchers’ accounts, ethnographic sources, archaeological discoveries and animation offer a glimpse into a world where the boundary between life and death was not so clear-cut.
The film also explores the human condition and our age-old need to come to terms with the unknown.
Directed by: Łukasz Jankowski
Produced by: Co u Licha collective / LukinoFilm
Running time: 35 minutes
Watch the trailer:
PLICA POLONICA
Don’t Untangle History
Interactive Sculpture / Exhibition | 2026
Co może kryć się w splątanych włosach?
For centuries, people believed that a kołtun (a matted clump of hair, known as plica polonica) was more than a physical condition. It could be seen as a source of illness, the result of evil forces, or even a means of protection against misfortune.
Cutting it off was sometimes considered dangerous.
In her project Plica Polonica / Don’t Untangle History, Ewa Kozubal brings this forgotten history back to life. Through an interactive, kinetic sculpture and exhibitions, she explores ancient beliefs in which the body, illness, magic and fear were inextricably intertwined.
It is a story about how people tried to make sense of what they did not understand — and how deeply these beliefs could shape their everyday lives.
Artist: Ewa Kozubal
Format: Interactive sculpture, exhibitions, educational activities
Exhibition venues: Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poznań
Explore the project:
Faces of Fear
Contemporary Demonology
Sculpture Series / Exhibition | 2026
Have ancient demons really disappeared?
In the past, fear had its own names and faces. It took the form of a revenant, a nightmare spirit, or a creature dwelling in the forest or dark waters. Today, we are less inclined to give our fears such distinct shapes. Yet the fears themselves remain.
In her sculpture series Faces of Fear, Ewa Bone revisits Slavic demons and searches for traces of them in contemporary human experience. These ancient beings become embodiments of present-day anxieties — the fear of death, illness, losing control and the unknown.
The artist gives these fears a tangible form, allowing us to come face to face with them.
Artist: Ewa Bone
Format: Sculpture, exhibition
Exhibition venues: Poznań, Gorzów Wielkopolski
Explore the project:
