POLISH PARADISE
A photographic installation, a presentation of the photobooks, a publication, a panel discussions with artists and networking events planned for whole nights – welcome to Polish Paradise in 2020!
Polish Paradise is an informal partnership of three photography festivals in Poland: Fotofestiwal in Lodz, Krakow Photomonth, and TIFF Festival from Wroclaw. Three main photo events in Poland have joined forces, knowledge and skills to win grants and promote Polish photography abroad. Their aim is to highlight works of the artists who are yet to shoot to international stardom, gain recognition for festivals and, last but not least, to have fun while doing so. So far Polish photography have visited Arles, Goteborg, Tbilisi, Hamburg, New York and Paris, where it was presented in various events, publications, artist talks, slideshows and all night long networking events (read: parties), even in a specially prepared for that campers that drove through half of the Europe to spread good vibes and word about Polish photography.
2020 tour is dedicated to six female photographers: Lena Dobrowolska, Antonina Gugała, Agnieszka Rayss (from Sputnik Photos Collective), Dominika Sadowska, Agnieszka Sejud and Karolina Wojtas. Their work will be presented at events such as ManifestO Festival in Toulouse (France), Nida. International Photography Symposium (Lithuania), Kaunas Art Book Fair (Lithuania), as well as at Riga Photomonth (Latvia).
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PAST EVENTS
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◾ Kaunas Art Book Fair (2-4.10)
Art Academy, Muitinės 2, Kaunas + live stream
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2.10 (Fri) 5 p.m. (EEST UTC+3) – opening of the “Polish Paradise Cabin: an exhibition”
“Polish Paradise Cabin: an exhibition” presents works of six contemporary Polish artists in different stages of their career – giving the viewer the spectrum of topics and artistic approaches specific to each of them: Lena Dobrowolska, Antonina Gugała, Agnieszka Rayss, Dominika Sadowska, Agnieszka Sejud and Karolina Wojtas. Additionally part of the exhibition is dedicated to selection of Polish photobooks. Curators picked those which are dedicated to… other countries. All that exhibited and designed a light installation form that plays with the memories of Polish culture and architecture from the summer time in the 70’s and 80’s.
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2.10 (Fri) 8:30 p.m. (EEST UTC+3) – Polish Paradise pop up party
Polish Paradise is the name of an informal partnership of three festivals and it doesn’t have this name for no reason. Since over 5 years organizers of Fotofestiwal in Łódź, Krakow Photomonth and TIFF Festival in Wrocław decided to promote Polish photography abroad not only with exhibitions, publications and artists talk, but by unique networking events organized in very hospitable, paradise-like environment – which those festivals are also very well known for. Photo-camper vans driving to Arles across Europe, slideshows over the river with special treats and music from Poland? This year they prepared an exhibition that – as well as to photography – pays tribute to Polish holiday housing and plants from the ’80, so who knows what you can expect – besides the slideshow dedicated to latest Polish publications – at the party? We invite you to find out.
Slideshow: Brave Boy Studio, Piotr Zbierski, Yulia Krivich, Łukasz Rusznica; Zofia Rydet, Joanna Helander.
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3.10 (Sat) 11:00-11:45 a.m. (EEST UTC+3) – Polish photo books’ scene and different strategies for publishing – discussion panel;
speakers: Joanna Gorlach and Michał Leśniowski – Kraków Photomonth and Paulina Anna Galanciak – TIFF Festival in Wrocław, guest artist: Agnieszka Rayss
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3.10 (Sat) 5:15-5:50 p.m. (EEST UTC+3) – book launch: Agnieszka Rayss, “This Is Where the End of Cities Begins” [“Tu się zaczyna koniec miast”] and “From the Notes of the Collector” [“Z zapisków kolekcjonera”]
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◾ Festival ManifestO. Photo Confluence of Toulouse
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18.09 (Fri) 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. (CEST UTC+2h) – opening of the “Polish Paradise Cabin: an exhibition”
artists: Lena Dobrowolska, Antonina Gugała, Agnieszka Rayss, Dominika Sadowska, Agnieszka Sejud and Karolina Wojtas,
“Polish Paradise Cabin: an exhibition” presents works of six contemporary female artists in different stages of their career – giving the viewer the spectrum of topics and artistic approaches specific to each of them. The wide variety of interests goes from archival stories related to the global effects of short-sighted politics, exploring social issues of living in the times of the climate catastrophe. Through the rough and outright visual commentary on media manipulation, family life’s shadows and glows to the visual study of the images and philosophical approach – the very basis of the complex process of creating a photographic image – as physical objects that can signify more than it shows. Each of the artists has established her strong visual language and has placed herself in the present debate on the visual rhetoric of visual culture in Poland. For Polish Paradise project we designed a light installation form that plays with the memories of Polish culture and architecture from the summer time in the 70’s and 80’s.
Open: from 18.09 until 21.09.
18.09 (Fri) 10:30 p.m. (CEST UTC+2h) – Polish Paradise Screening
Networking event accompanied by a slideshow dedicated to Polish photobooks 2019/2020, following the opening of the ManifestO Festival.
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19.09 (Sat) 5 p.m. (CEST UTC+2h) – photobook signing by Agnieszka Rayss, Bookshop
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20.09 (Sun) 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (CEST UTC+2h) – meeting and guided tour through the “Polish Paradise Cabin: an exhibition”
Meeting connected with a guided tour with the Polish photographers as well as curators representing the Polish Paradise collective and Polish photo festivals: Fotofestiwal in Łódź (Krzysztof Candrowicz), Kraków Photomonth (Joanna Gorlach) and TIFF Festival from Wrocław (Maciej Bujko). This event will be dedicated to the presentation of the Polish photography scene from a wide perspective. We will discuss different fields of interest of historic and modern Polish female artists on the basis of the works of the invited photographers. We’ll also discuss a cooperation model between artists and festivals gathered under the Polish Paradise collective trademark.
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◾ Nida. International Photography Symposium (8-12.09, Nida, Lithuania)
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9.09 (Wed) 5-6:15 p.m. (EEST UTC+3)
(VDA Nida Art Colony, E. A. Jonušo str. 3 + online)
artist talks: Antonina Gugała, Agnieszka Rayss, Dominika Sadowska, led by Franciszek Ammer – Fotofestiwal Łódź
9.09 (Wed) 6:30-8 p.m. (EEST UTC+3)
(VDA Nida Art Colony, E. A. Jonušo str. 3 + online)
discussion panel: “Is the Photo World a Man’s World?”
guests: Maciej Bujko – TIFF Festival in Wrocław, Joanna Gorlach – Kraków Photomonth, Antonina Gugała, Agnieszka Rayss, led by Gintaras Česonis – Kaunas Art Book Fair
Who are we as festivals’ organisers to the female artists? Are we supporting them? Is the role of festivals creating equal opportunities and strengthening the position of female artists? Do female artists feel inequalities in the photo world? What functions do festivals fulfill in this context? What do female artists expect from us as festivals’ organisers and from the photo world?
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8-12.09, Nida Art Colony Library
presentation: “Hands-on Polish Photobooks”,
1 table, 4 hands and 10 books. A virtual table presenting Polish photobooks with the voice narration of Franciszek Ammer from Fotofestiwal in Łódź and Michał Leśniowski from Kraków Photomonth. Curators will share ten Polish photobooks published in the last few years. The selection focuses on foreign countries – how are they seen by Polish artists. With just a few moves of the hand, we will travel to India, USA, Hungary, North Korea among others and discuss different approaches to other’s countries politics, history, society and environment. We will also reflect if Polish background influences how these countries are seen and represented by photography. The photobooks will be available at Nida Art Colony Library for the whole Symposium.
12.09 (Sat) 7 p.m. (EEST UTC+3), Nida Art Colony
slideshow with works from Polish photobooks
Slideshow presenting contemporary Polish photobook projects from the last few years and in the second part historic female photographers from Poland. The selection is prepared by curators: Michał Leśniowski – Kraków Photomonth and Franciszek Ammer – Fotofestiwal in Łódź.
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◾ Riga Photomonth
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16th of June 7pm<, (6pm Warsaw time) – Short talks: a Polish female photography
Series of six short interviews with polish female artists: Lena Dobrowolska, Antonina Gugała, Agnieszka Rayss, Dominika Sadowska, Agnieszka Sejud, Karolina Wojtas conducted online by Aga Szuścik. Talks will include screening of artists works.
Join it on Riga Photmonth fanpage.
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19th of June 7pm. (6pm Warsaw time) – Hands on Polish photobooks
Virtual table presenting Polish photobooks with voice narration of Franciszek Ammer (Fotofestiwal in Łódź) and Michał Leśniowski (Krakow Photomonth). Curators will talk about around 10 publications.
Join it on Riga Photomonth fanpage.
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Organizers: Krakow Photomonth Festival, Fotofestiwal – International Festival of Photography in Łódź, TIFF Festival in Wrocław
Financed under the NIEPODLEGŁA Multiannual Programme for 2017-2022, as a part of the “Cultural Bridges” (“Kulturalne pomosty”) grant programme of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute
Project financed by the Cultural Division of Municipality of Wrocław.
