The Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle is attempting to evolve as a new type of cultural institution in which various fields of art coexist with each other, interact, and transgress their own boundaries, in order to create new qualities and phenomena. The CCA draws particular attention to the relationship between art and society, as well as interdisciplinarity, interactivity, site-specific productions, various forms of collaboration, networking, and co-production. The CCA would like to transform itself into more of a space for artistic exploration, research, laboratories, workshops, and experiments than remain a traditional exhibition space.
The CCA program will determine the fundamental objectives required to meet the needs of a modern society within the following categories:

Exploration/research
Artistic exploration and a research-like approach to the surrounding reality lie at the heart of the activities undertaken by the Centre for Contemporary Art. These aim to strengthen the relationship between the visual arts and other areas of culture (including music, theater, film and new technologies), but also between art and society. The assumption underpinning these conjectures is that the areas with the greatest innovative potential are performance and art in public space, both of which may be regarded to some extent as points of contact between the various fields of art; as well as between art and its audience. Not only do these areas enjoy considerable popularity, but they are also flexible research tools that allow for both the evaluation of reactions and observation of human behaviors and organizational systems. The research will focus on fundamental topics which are becoming central to the life of modern society.

Creating social value through the arts
Attributing a purely economic value to art and making collection the primary focus of attention diminish art’s importance. The divergent nature of artistic creativity can play a very important role in trying to understand the development of society; it can also become an instrument of social growth through stimulating questions, and also – why not? – through provocation. In this sense, art can stimulate wider forms of creativity, ultimately leading to the production of economic value, not by creating objects but in a more elusive manner.

Education
The introduction of innovative art processes to the public and the creative use of new technology are the foundations upon which the progress of society as a whole rests. The CCA is taking extensive measures facilitating the development of educational processes that see art as a means to explore and understand society, using such tools as conferences, debates, guided tours, workshops, publications, and television programs.

Communication
Art is also a means of communication. The CCA takes full advantage of this fact while remaining mindful of both the inherent communicative potential of each project, which often relates to unresolved problems and other issues affecting modern society, and also the need to construct innovative communication campaigns using new media and information technology. Maintaining a direct and lasting relationship with modern systems of communication (i.e. the press, TV, Internet and social networks) forms an integral part of the CCA’s quest as well as the development of projects, a process which is often bound up with media diffusion and audience reactions.

Participation
New technologies stimulate and facilitate the development of a demand for active participation in the creation of culture. The CCA would therefore like to transform itself into more of a place for meetings and active participation. For this reason, it not only creates resting areas and spaces for social interaction, both within the building and in the surrounding park, but also carries out projects that allow the audience to actively participate, all the while using and developing their own creative potential.

Promotion of creativity
The primary aim of the centre for research and experiments, thus conceived, is to support the development and promotion of creativity – in the city, across the region and throughout the whole country. Dynamic processes and discussions bolster the development of creativity within any space The presence of international artists, curators and intellectuals, who have chosen to associate themselves with Warsaw by working for the CCA, can only strengthen the development of culture while reinforcing the importance of Polish art throughout the world. By using parts of the Castle for the exhibitions and projects of artists of the younger generation, we hope to underscore our commitment to providing appropriate conditions for young talent to flourish.