who cares : łukasz prus-niewiadomski

who cares

The project “Who Cares” combines three photographs from the series “Initiation” (2009) with the video works from 2021. The early photographs document the artist’s stage of formal experiments with negative and positive, while the films relate to the experience of apathy and being overwhelmed by everyday life. The juxtaposition reveals a shift from explorations of the medium to a critical view of the tools that shape expression - especially the smile - under the pressure of contemporary social expectations. The titular question remains open, directing attention to the relationship between the image and the viewer.

video-performance / loop

photography

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The main part of the Fotofestiwal program is being developed under the supervision of prof. Józef Robakowski and is dedicated to the Łódź art scene. The collective exhibition “Reincarnation” in Art_Inkubator at Fabryka Sztuki in Łódź will feature works by 34 artists.

Łódź is not only a city, it is a cultural phenomenon. Historically, it has been perceived as a place that was “punished by industry”, a town of wounded identity, where art became a remedy against the dull, wearisome life of the working class. Possibly, this factor of sharing and co-operation has prepared the ground for many avant-garde groups and artistic movements, institutions and events, such as the Jung Jidysz group, “a.r.” group who co-created the Museum of Art in Łódź, Workshop of the Film Form, Łódź Kaliska, Chip-In Culture (Kultura Zrzuty), Construction in Process, and Łódź Biennale. Inspired with a similar idea, 20 years ago, the cooperation of students and teachers of three academies: the University of Łódź, the Academy of Fine Arts and the Film School in Łódź, resulted in the creation of Fotofestiwal. What is common for all those initiatives? Avant-garde, crazy spirit, enthusiasm, collective nature, and – according to Prof. Józef Robakowski – “the crankiness of Łódź”.

And this is how the exhibition titled “Reincarnation 2021” is being brought to life. It is a manifestation of collective culture and freedom. The authors, invited to co-create this group project, represent three generations of the artists of Łódź – from the patron of the exhibition, Wacław Antczak, born in 1911, to the contemporary artists who have debuted during last 10 years. Each of them had their own share in creating, at some moment of their life, the melting pot of the city. Presented works often refer to important historical events of the last 50 years, however, the main narrative of the exhibition focuses the current and universal matters; individualism, freedom and creative space. The main links of the display are the most characteristic or most current motifs in the artists’ works.

Artists:
Wacław Antczak, Karolina Breguła, Aleksandra Chciuk, Artur Chrzanowski, Tatiana Czekalska / Leszek Golec, Jakub Dylewski, Marek Domański, Magdalena Franczuk, Jerzy Grzegorski, Paweł Hajncel, Elżbieta Janicka, Irena Kalicka, Witosław Krymarys / Józef Robakowski, Konrad Kuzyszyn, Andrzej Kwietniewski, Katarzyna Maluga, Aleksandra Mańczak, Andrzej Miastkowski, Anna Orlikowska, Andrzej Paruzel, Igor Pisuk, Małgorzata Potocka, Łukasz Prus-Niewiadomski, Grzegorz Przyborek, Wojciech Puś, Aleksandra SKA, Kacper Szalecki / Anna Wacławek, Ryszard Waśko, Piotr Tomczyk, Karolina Wojtas, Piotr Zbierski

exhibition view / who cares / reincarnation / fotofestiwal / lodz