Last updated: 27 October 2026
Rafał Zajko is the Polish sculptor in London who casts chewing gum, bio-concrete and folklore into strange, part-machine objects. Here you will find our take on his work, his recent shows and prizes, and how his work is sold.
Our take on Rafał Zajko
Zajko works across sculpture, ceramics, bio-concrete, fresco, costume and performance. His public commission Unwritten, at the Regent’s Park Estate in London, was modelled from chewed gum donated by local LGBTQ+ people and marks a former secret bar in a church crypt, according to his own site.
“The chewing gum becomes this cryogenic chamber of your genetic material,” he told Artnet News in 2025, ahead of The Spin Off at Focal Point Gallery, his first UK institutional solo show. On his childhood: “I was brought up in a country where communism broke.”
In 2026 he won the ING Polish Art Foundation Main Prize at Warsaw Gallery Weekend. No prints or editions are on sale; his work goes through galleries by enquiry.
Rafał Zajko: the essentials
- Born in Białystok, Poland, in 1988; works in London.
- Studied at Central Saint Martins (foundation), Chelsea College of Art (BA, 2012) and Goldsmiths (MFA, 2020), according to his CV.
- Abbey Fellow in Painting at the British School at Rome, 2024.
- Won the ING Polish Art Foundation Main Prize, 2026.
- In the Zabludowicz Collection; shown at Frieze London 2025 by Coulisse Gallery, Stockholm.
Rafał Zajko exhibitions
- Foreign Body / Ciało Obce, with Thom Trojanowski, Warsaw Gallery Weekend, from 18 September 2026.
- ORGAN, solo show, Coulisse Gallery, Stockholm, 2026.
- Song to the Siren (Echo), Frieze Focus, Frieze London, with Coulisse Gallery, October 2025.
- The Spin Off, his first UK institutional solo show, Focal Point Gallery, Southend-on-Sea, 26 March to 7 June 2025.
- No current UK show.
Rafał Zajko FAQs
What does Rafał Zajko make?
Sculpture, ceramics, bio-concrete works, frescoes, costumes and performances, often mixing folklore with industrial materials.
Where can I see Rafał Zajko’s work in London?
His public work Unwritten is at the Regent’s Park Estate, marking a former secret bar in the crypt of St Mary Magdalene, Munster Square.
What prize did Rafał Zajko win?
The ING Polish Art Foundation Main Prize at Warsaw Gallery Weekend, in 2026.
Can I buy a Rafał Zajko print?
We found no prints or editions. His work is sold through galleries by enquiry.
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- National Art Pass: discounts on big shows across the UK.
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Main image: Rafał Zajko at the British School at Rome, 2024. Photo: Luana Rigolli, courtesy of the artist and the British School at Rome. Cropped and framed by CoolCuration. Exhibition dates and prices last checked: 27 October 2026.
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