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The Magpie Depicts the Crow

During the last two years I've started experimenting with Wet Plate Collodion photography together with the photographers Anna Edlund and Henning Klasen. 

For about a year Anna and I have been taking portraits of people living and working in an area of Mölndal known as "the Crow" where we have a studio called Studio Skatan (Skata is swedish for Magpie), hence the name "The Magpie Depicts the Crow". All the photos are made together as a joint effort between Anna and me, one handling the camera and one the darkroom and vice versa.

If you're in Mölndal you can see the photos until sun 24 june at an exhibition in Galleri Forscaféet at Mölndals Museum. If not, you can see some of them here on the FBlog 

don't mess with texas

Series "Don't mess with Texas" by two Polish photographers Michał Jędrzejowski and Tomasz Liboska touches almost unknown and almost forgotten part of Polish history, well, specificly Silesian history, showing to the daylight descendads of Silesian emigrants living today in Texas in cities with Polish names, like Panna Maria (Virgin Mary). 

We set off to Texas in 2009, 155 years after the first wave of the Silesian exile. We came to the Panna Maria – the first Polish parish on the American mainland. We visited homes, schools, churches and bars. We were looking for Moczygęba, Labus, and Janysk. We found Texans: jeans, cowboy boots, Republican views and the all-pervasive “Don’t Mess with Texas”. We learned their stories, and heard tales ancient and modern of the homeland. Each one is a multigenerational saga interwoven with sorrow, but also a sense of joy and fulfillment. Among our heroes there are farmers, businessmen, clergymen, musicians, and writers. Who are the descendants of the Silesian pioneers today? We couldn’t find an answer. We don’t need one.

Michał Jędrzejowski, Tomasz Liboska

Michał Jędrzejowski & Tomasz Liboska – both professionally linked with photography, working together since 2008. Many times awarded: project "Warriors" received Ist award at Grand Press Photo 2008. "Don't mess with Texas" series reached final at GPP 2010. 

"Don't mess with Texas" since tomorrow will be presented in Old Wire Factory in Gliwice (PL)

in the car with R.

Rafał Milach, photo from the book "In the car with R."

It’s freezing outside for several days in Poland, -15C at the moment, few days ago there was -35C…cold. It seems most inappropriate time for taking to hands book about Island. Just the first view into the book makes it sure – unsaturated, slightly overexposed photos prove that Island is land of cold. The text between the pictures doesn’t improve the reception – it illustrates coldly relation between two, at first view bit casual travellers crossing Island together – the photographer (Rafał Milach) and the writer (Huldar Breiðfjörð).

Rafał Milach, photo from the book "In the car with R."

But, this book warmed my heart – don’t remember when I had so well thought, edited and printed book in my hands. It almost like hand made notebook with very original covers, all joint together with two red rubber bands – delightful form in total. What’s inside the book, warms me even more – great and greatly selected photos of R. mixed with rough, excellent texts with observations of H. Those two great artists, from different countries, with different backgrounds and representing different branches of art met to register and show us Island today. We receive bit chaotic story about this severe land and its people, but also about pain of art creation and pain of human relations start-up, H. and R. relation. The story seems chaotic, but those puzzles create coherent global image.

Both of the artists are frank with us and with themselves, they don’t want to please us, show the things as they are at the moment. We may feel the irritation, boredom, lack of patience, lack of understanding, but finally also fascination…

Rafał Milach, photo from the book "In the car with R."

This book is in a way continuation, o rather supplement to book IS(not) published by Sputnik Photos. Material created during preparatory of former book, in case of relation of R. and H. allowed to prepare new project. Photos of this project were awarded by the Jury of New York Photo Awards 2011 and the project of the book received Blurb award.

Finally, what makes me really happy, the book found editor in Gliwice – birth-place of Rafał Milach, in Czytelnia Sztuki.

The project manager and curator of exhibition associated to promotion of the book was one of F-ers – Maga Sokalska.

Rafał Milach, born in Gliwice in 1978 photographer, studied at Fine Art Academy in Katowice and ITF in Opava. Author of several important esseys about Central and Eastern Europe transformation. His works were awarded many times in most prestigious contests, let me just mention World Press Photo or Picture of the Year International.

Huldar Breiðfjörð is born 1972 and lives in Reykjavík. He studied literature at University of Iceland and film at New York University. He has published three books: Góðir Íslendingar (1998), Múrinn í Kína (2004) and Færeyskur dansur (2004). Huldar has also written for the screen and sometimes makes documentaries.

trævəl

trav·el   /ˈtrævəl/ noun, adjective, verb (used without object)
1. to go from one place to another, as by car, train, plane, or ship; take a trip; journey: to travel for pleasure.
2. to move or go from one place or point to another.

3. to proceed or advance in any way.

4. to go from place to place as a representative of a business firm.

5. to associate or consort: He travels in a wealthy crowd.

Balcerek project

tomorrow, 16.01.2011 in Czytelnia Sztuki in Gliwice will take place a meeting summarizing documental project "Balcerek" organized by Gliwice House of Photography with help of Museum in Gliwice and Faculty of Sociology of University of Silesia in Gliwice. 

During year 2011 group of photographers (Maga Sokalska, Bartek Spyra and me) documented atmosphere of perhaps last months of existence of Balcerek bazaar, one of the last one of such in Poland.  

At the same time group of scientist and students of sociology under supervision of dr. Agata Zygmunt and Andrzej Górny performed sociological research.
Both groups were supported by Museum in Gliwice.

Bazaars like Balcerek were created in early 1990s when economical plan of prof. Leszek Balcerowicz was implemented - plan of transformation of Polish economy from real-socialistic central planned economy into free-market reality. 

Balcerek bazaars were created suddenly, almost from day to another, also in scale of few days in our cities started to appear products and goods we knew only from legends of those who travelled abroad (to the West of course).

We can openly say that thanks to those hundreds of brave and practical people who often decided to quite their jobs, change their lives and became sellers in Balcereks, Poland radically moved in other direction and made civilization leap.

Today, after 20 years Polish reality is completely different, full of fancy shopping malls, boutiques and restaurants.
Balcereks placed in very hearts of the cities, on most expensive area for urban development, with built ad hoc 20 years ago temporary, today half-destroyed structures are not fitting to this new reality.
Municipal and regional authorities tend to close and re-qualify those areas. It meets usually protests of Balcerek's workers and customers who are used to make shopping there for last 20 years.

Gliwice's Balcerek is one of the last ones, due to regional planning of building Inter-Silesian express road and plans of revitalization of this part of the city, the market supposed to be closed very soon.
Social protests delayed already this fact for few years, but it seems, we witness last months.

Balcerek project finished with the book shows the history and today's reality of the bazaar, shows the fates of people, their opinions, relations between them, their fears and hopes connected with unknown yet future of their place of work.

Czytelnia Sztuki, 16.01.2012 at 18.00h


Willa Caro
ul. Dolnych Wałów 8a
44-100 Gliwice, Poland
czytelnia@czytelniasztuki.pl
www.czytelniasztuki.pl

Street photography here and now. Still there!

Światosław Wojtkowiak, Somaliland, 2005 / courtesy of the artist

Street Photography Now. Street photography here and now. 

Street photography is in fact a report. It can also be a memorial snapshot, or one taken straight from a family album. It does not need to be taken in the city, in the street – it can as well be shot in the depth of a forest, or in the middle of nowhere. Nowadays this photographic trend – certainly documentary and totally true, although sometimes it’s hard to believe – is a strong attraction for the photographers from all over the world. 

The exhibition shall present works of such well-known authors as: Christophe Agou, Narelle Autio, Maciej Dakowicz, David Gibson, Bruce Gilden, Thierry Girard, Andrew Z. Glickman, Siegfried Hansen, Nils Jorgensen, Martin Kollar, Jesse Marlow, Jeff Mermelstein, Joel Meyerowitz, Mimi Mollica, Trent Parke, Martin Parr, Gus Powell, Mark Alor Powell, Paul Russell, Otto Snoek, Matt Stuart, Ying Tang, Nick Turpin, Alex Webb.

The exhibition of more than 30 world’s best street photographers – selected by Sophie Howarth and Stephen McLaren, authors of an album on street photography – shall be accompanied by a presentation of works by Polish photographers. 

„Street Photography Here and Now”. We do not wish to claim that “street” was invented by us, nor that it is our national trend. We just notice that plenty of people take photographs in the street. Paradoxically, not all of them are called street photos. 

Capturing amusing moments of the daily life, catching people red-handed and at moments of oblivion, pointing out absurdities – this is what street photographers do. The spectators can laugh, can see a haiku-like concise story, but most of all they have the pleasure of looking at scenes which they pass in the streets. Common. Everyday. Unnoticeable when they occur. 

Feel invited to get to know the Polish variety of street photo. Next to foreign photos, taken abroad, we show ours (and not only ours) backyards, streets and alleys – through the eyes of mostly young people, not necessarily professional photographers. Some of them feel they continue in the footsteps of Eliott Erwitt or Robert Doisneau, others claim to be unsullied like Henri Lartigue. Yet others leave their desks at 4:00 PM, when the sun shines its magic, and yield to the rhythm of their cities. 

The exhibition is organized in cooperation with Third Floor Gallery from Cardiff, University of Wales in Newport and with the Thames & Hudson publishing house. 

Authors of Polish-part of the exhibition: Michał Adamski, Piotr Bułas, Kuba Ceran, Rafał Chojnacki, Damian Chrobak, Maciej Dakowicz, Kuba Dargiewicz, Tomasz Desperak, Mariusz Forecki, Magda Galas, Paweł Głogowski, Wojciech Grzędziński, Robert Jaworski, Anna Kłosek, Piotr Koszczyński, Kacper Krajewski, Włodzimierz Krzemiński, Tomasz Kulbowski, Adam Lach, Marek Lapis, Nel Lato, Tomasz Lazar, Jerzy Łapiński, Michał Macioszczyk, Zbigniew Marczewski, Bartosz Mateńko, Michał Mentel, Szymon Michna, Krzysztof Miller, Paweł Olejniczak, Krzysztof Panek, Kacper Pempel, Marcin Płonka, Bart Pogoda, Przemysław Pokrycki, Paweł Piotrowski, Rafał Rafalski, Paweł Repetowski, Sylwester Rozmiarek, Piotr Rygielski, Tomasz Rykaczewski, Katarzyna Sagatowska, Mateusz Sarełło, Rafał Siderski, Michał Skrzypczak, Konrad Smolak, Agnieszka Sym, Szymon Szcześniak, Tomasz Szerszeń, Jacek Szust, Przemysław Wajerowicz, Jan Wajszczuk, Aleksander Wasilewski, Magdalena Wdowicz-Wierzbowska, Tomasz Wiech, Andrzej Wiktor, Artur Alan Willmann, Światek Wojtkowiak, Mateusz Zgliński, Bartek Wrześniowski & Jarek Zuzga.

 Jeff Mermelstein, Untitled,  New York, 1995 /  featured in Street Photography Now, published by Thames & Hudson.

Maciej Dakowicz, Pink Hat, Cardiff, 2006 /  featured in Street Photography Now, published by Thames & Hudson.

 Gus Powell, Putti from the series Lunch Pictures, New York, 1999-2007 /  featured in Street Photography Now, published by Thames & Hudson.

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY NOW – Street Photography Here and Now.
The exhibition continues until January 15, 2012 opening hours: Thursday, Friday 3 - 8 PM  / Saturday, Sunday 12 - 8 PM
Organized by: THE MUSEUM OF PRINTING IN WARSAW - a branch of the Historical Museum of Warsaw and  Fundacja .DOC
Location: „Galeria Muzeum Drukarstwa Warszawskiego w budowie” (Gallery of the Museum of Printing in Warsaw Under Construction), Marszałkowska street no. 3/5, Warsaw 

 Paweł Piotrowski, Munich, 2003 / courtesy of the artist

 Marcin Płonka, London, 2011 / courtesy of the artist

 Tomasz Wiech, Cracow, 2007 / courtesy of the artist

Tomasz Lazar, Niechórz, 2008 / courtesy of the artist

There are workshops with Przemysław Pokrycki (7.01), Mimi Mollica (8.01) and Bruce Gilden (14-15) and some lectures and discussions.
Thanks to Magda Wajda-Kacmajor for translation. Curators of "international" part are: Maciej Dakowicz, Joni Karanka and Bartosz Nowicki: Third Floor Gallery. Curator of Polish part is Joanna Kinowska. Hope to see you here :>