statement

In the several years of work in Poland I developed interests and techniques which I now fine-tune and adapt in several series of works that are staged internationally.

I am interested in topics concerning cultural identity and cultural transfer, where cultures meet, merge and create something new out of such encounters.

I work mainly with photography, but have recently turned my attention to craft as well.

I like you, I like you a lot--The photographs of this project are personal work, about family and the experience of death of a 13-year-old brother. Later the project became an investigation of the influence of American culture on Polish identity. I looked at a group of boys from a small town who were inspired by the ideal of the 'hero' soldier propagated by American cinema. To document the loss of my brother through the continuing lives of his friends was also to document a certain loss of Polish identity. As an artist it is very important to me that the work can move and be understood by a variety of people, audiences not only from the fine art world but also those who have no knowledge of critical theory. This project poses questions about vulnerability, youth, motherhood, domesticity and the passage of time.

Concrete Mushrooms--This series of photographs is an attempt to document the disappearing mushroom-shaped bunkers constructed all over Albania, the building of which had ubiquitous impact on the landscape and ruined the countryís economy. Now Albania is trying to erase this part of its history, attempting to find a new identity. Many of these structures are being destroyed; others have become part of everyday life in surprising ways.

Culture Translated--The project is an experiment. It is a cross-cultural dialogue between traditional forms of folk art and craft from different countries around the world. By giving the same Polish paper cut out of roosters to craftspeople and other makers in a variety of countries I aim to explore modes of intercultural dialogue in the era of capitalism and globalization. Here I see myself as a curator and the works are going to be presented in the form of an ethnographic museum, together with the documentation of the process.

Life is on a new high--The project aims to address the issue of the changing landscape and unregulated construction in the financial capital of India, Mumbai. The city is undergoing a massive construction boom, with more than fifteen supertalls, hundreds of skyscrapers and thousands of high-rises under construction. Currently Mumbai is home to the largest number of supertalls and skyscrapers under construction in the World.

All the skyscrapers are constructed by international companies, in many instances from Denmark. The architecture of the new risers has no relation to the Indian cityscape and European architecture is being transplanted to India, transforming this country in the process. I am the first photographer to have been granted access to many of these buildings.

bio

born: 1985, Jelenia Gora, Poland

education

Goldsmiths University, BA, London 2004
London College of Communications, MA, London

selected awards/honors

Bloomberg New Contemporaries, London, Sheffield, 2011
Sortiri Prize, Korce, Albania, 2011
Magenta Flash Forward, Vancouver, Canada, 2010
Deutsche Bank Fine Art Photography Award and Grant, University of the Arts, London, 2010

selected publications

Art4d Magazine, Bangkok, Thailand, 2014
INPHA, Manifest Gallery, ed. By Jason Franz, 2012
Mapping Bunkers, Domus Web, essay by Vera Sacchetti, 2012
HotShoe International Magazine, (August & September), Artist Feature, 2011

selected solo or two-person exhibits

I like you, I like you a lot, Wallflower Gallery, Mildura Arts Center, Muldura, Australia, 2013
I like you, I like you a lot, Tirana Ekspres, Tirana, Albania, 2011
Dystans, The Agency Gallery, London, 2011
I like you, I like you a lot, Kallitas Elott Galeria, Tuzrakter Arts Centre, Budapest, 2010

selected group shows

Deutsche Bank Award Winners Exhibition, UAL Showroom, London, 2013
Creative Cities Collection, Barbican, London, 2012
New Contemporaries 2011 Site Gallery, S1 Artspace, Sheffield (exh cat), 2011
Venice Biennale Afternoon Tea, WW Gallery, Venice, Italy (exh cat), 2011