In the Silesian mining basin, green conversion is underway, even in Jastrzebie-Zdroj, the flagship city of European metallurgical coal.
Currently, the town relies on cultural centers, tourism and creative industries to write its future.
for Le Monde
Lewica (Polish Left) convention for Dagens ETC
“Trouble on the Oder and Neisse” for FAZ
- a pre-election look at Polish-German relationships in border region
of Western Pomerania among intensifying anti-German rhetoric by
(just-about-to-become-former) PiS government.
“Nobody in Polish
Pomerania is upset about Bismarck and Fontane anymore. Hot topics today
are a planned container port and the German tourist tax.”
by Gerhard Gnauck
“In the Beskidy Mts, the coexistence of two Polands, one liberal, the other conservative”
Recent pre-election story for Le Monde about two neighbouring communities, separated by a mountain, making
strikingly different voting choices. People in Wisła vote liberal while
vast majority of Istebna residents vote conservative. Poland in a
nutshell.
The reality on the ground turned out to be much more complex (as it usually is)
text by Jakub Iwaniuk
The Archive of Public Protests’s show at the Folkwang Museum
in Essen, Germany on September 21st as well as the launch of the latest pro-choice A-P-P Strike Newspaper #9.
What’s more, serious chunk of the
A-P-P archive will become part of the Museum’s collection. As you may
know A-P-P is quite ephemeral so we’re glad the archive becomes part of
this important institutional resource that can serve for future
explorations and performances.
“Anger about wheat” for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
“Poland
stands by Ukraine like no other country. But grain imports from
neighboring country are causing discontent among farmers. A visit to the
farm during the election campaign.”
.
text by Gerhard Gnauck
.
A
day among the farmers in eastern Poland as they struggle to navigate
between dropping grain prices, Ukraine cereals flowing in and vague
politicians’ promises as elections close.
Featured in “Warsaw wants to soon have the strongest army in Europe” by Gerhard Gnauck
Are military picnics part of a recruitment strategy?
.
Military
picnics are an increasingly popular pastime in Poland. They offer
military-related entertainment such as shooting range or tank rides and
aim to boost patriotism, build relations and trust with the army and
create positive connotations related to military service. They attract
crowds, including kids, teenagers and young adults, a crucial
demographic in light of recent plans of The Ministry of National Defense
to create an army of more than 300,000 troops by 2035 to guard against
Russia’s imperial ambitions.
.
A fundamental challenge is a
shortage of personnel and financial burden of such undertaking. The main
problem is a shortage of volunteers (recruitment problems are a
challenge for almost all NATO member states, including the United
States). In other words, in the near future there will be fewer young
people (and therefore potential soldiers), while an aging population
requiring increased financial expenditures for social and health care
will increase. This project will ultimately face limitations as a result
of demographics and Polish demographic forecasts are very poor.
“This is where the new Kraków is born” - a feature photographed a while ago for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung about Nowa Huta district, where even though Soviet-era steel mill still
dominates the landscape, aparments are a bit more affordable, most
amenities are just around the corner, new bars and clubs are emerging
and green spaces are plentiful.
I had the
privilage to photograph Renata Grzybczak, founder of Light for Syria, an
international NGO providing humanitarian aid to children affected by
the war in Syria.
My recent contribution to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung feature about John Paul II troubled legacy ahead of Poland’s parliamentary elections.
“John Paul II
was the father of the Polish nation for a long time. Now critics are
asking about his role in the abuse scandal. In Poland, the dispute over
the Catholic Church will become the battlefield of the upcoming
parliamentary elections.”
by Gerhard Gnauck
The Archive of Public Protests exhibition “You Will Never Walk Alone” opened on Friday within the amazing Fotografi Europea festival in Reggio Emilia, Italy
“German soldiers at the European Union’s most dangerous border.”
“In November 2022, a rocket fell in an eastern Polish village, killing two
people. Today, the Bundeswehr protects Polish airspace near Zamość with
Patriot systems. Do people feel safe now?”
assignment for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
“Refugees from Ukraine: where have they all gone?”
Stories of two Ukrainian women, who, once arrived in Berlin, are choosing different life paths. I
photographed Valeriia, 28, in Kraków, Poland, on Jan 08, 2022. Valeriia
decided to leave Berlin for Kraków because of cultural proximity as
well as less troublesome refugee and immigration policy.
“Recently published survey by the Institute for Labor Market and
Occupational research (IAB) and other institutions shows that in autumn
only 17 Percentage of refugees from Ukraine who are of working age and
have a found a job. At the same time, according to the unanimous
perception in job centers and at professional associations, the majority
want to work. Something doesn’t add up.”
Story by Fabian Franke
“Teenage or retired, Jewish or Muslim, 173 women from very diverse backgrounds
went to the Nazi extermination camp, on the initiative of the Langage de
Femmes association, which fights against racism and antisemitism.”
on assignment for Liberation with reporting by Elsa Maudet
In the south-east of the country, villagers are organizing themselves to
send electricity generators, basic necessities and hospital beds to
their neighbors across the border.
Recent assignment for Le Monde with Hélène Bienvenu
3 hours on site and 9 hours behind the wheel - emergency assignment for @lemondefr
in Przewodów, Poland, where Soviet-made rocket exploded killing two
civilians.
Together with APP I’m a part of a group exhibition “No One Belongs Here More Than You” in The National Gallery in Prague during Fotograf Festival in Prague, Czech Republik. So if you happen to be in beautiful Prague
anytime between now and Jan 8th, 2023, do yourself a favor and go see
it.
.
“Who does belong here?
A seemingly simple question seems to be at the heart of much of the
current cultural debates, policy-making and social measures. The
question of belonging even becomes a threat for various people when they
do not fit into the imaginary homogeneous vision of a nation that is
advocated for by a growing number of proponents of the extreme right and
populism. The central exhibition of the Fotograf Festival presents
artistic strategies that recognise this attack on civil rights and
liberties, understanding it as symptomatic of the shift from a
democratic to an authoritarian political order. Departing from the
notion of chronopolitics, the exhibition contests political tendencies
that draw a coherent line from a pristine past to an idealised future
that must be defended against the supposed threats of diversity, gender
sensitivity, and the empowerment of marginalised groups. The presented
works of predominantly Central European artists accentuate the
historical conditioning of the current repressive tendencies, developing
possible forms of resistance by artistic means.”
(from exhibition statement)
.
23 Sep – 8 Jan 2023
Trade Fair Palace
The National Gallery in Prague (NGP)
Dukelských hrdinů 47, Prague 7
Tue–Sun, 10 am–6 pm
Recent contribution to Stern magazine’s feature about Odra river catastrophe.
The story has been brought to you by three writer-photographer teams working in three different locations.
Text by Tina Kaiser, Helmut Broeg and Paul Flückiger
Recent contribution for Le Monde
Text by Hélène Bienvenu
I am a part of new exhibition “Politics in Art” at Museum of Contemporary Art in Kraków curated by Maria Anna Potocka, Agnieszka Sachar and Martyna Sobczyk.
The
exhibition presents work of nearly 70 artists and explores “sceptical
and critical approach of contemporary artists to the actions of those in
power, exposing the artifice and mendacity of political strategies. It
demonstrates that in the name of ambition, the desire to remain in power
and the feeding of the dictatorial ego, politicians are capable of
lying, manipulation and murder. Artists oppose this, both as critics and
as soldiers.”
“At a converted hotel in Poland, children and their families come in to
rest. They are cancer patients from Ukraine, where their treatment was
interrupted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
Recent work for WSJ
Story by Brianna Abbott and Denise Roland
“An informal network of support has eased the burden on public services,
but officials are wary of a backlash as the war drags on.”
My recent contribution to The Wall Street Journal story about an informal network of support for Ukrainian refugees in Poland.
Text by Ian Lovett, Natalia Ojewska and Eric Sylvers.
An assignment, one very close to my heart,
about Ukrainian families finding refuge in Polish homes. While Polish
government takes credit for helping refugees, it’s the individual
citizens and small NGOs who have been doing most of the heavy lifting,
at least in the first weeks of Russian invasion.
for POLITICO Europe
text by Zosia Wanat
“In an escalating war, business leaders responsible for large Ukrainian
workforces have become evacuation coordinators, military strategists,
providers of humanitarian aid and, in some cases, financiers of the
Ukrainian army. ”
Text by Heathew Somerville
on assignment for The Wall Street Journal
“MEDYKA, Poland—Within days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week, the line
of cars carrying people fleeing to the country’s border with Poland was
already 55 miles long.”
“In wet snow and cold rain, mothers began
abandoning their cars to walk for hours, prodding exhausted children as
they dragged their strollers and suitcases along the road.”
“Inside
the checkpoint, two Ukrainian immigration officers have been
frantically trying to keep up with one of the fastest exoduses from any
country in modern history.”
By Drew Hinshaw and Natalia Ojewska
on assignment for The Wall Street Journal
