For the ninth time, the Centre of Contemporary Art Znaki Czasu in Torun (CoCA) has organized a competition for photographers entitled, ‘Exhibit at CoCA’. This cyclical event is aimed at independent photographers and attracts a vast group of fans of the medium, especially young people for whom showing their works in the gallery space is often an essential first experience. This year, a vast number of applications were received – over 750. The subject matter and format of the works were free – portraits, landscapes and reportage photos dominated. “The number and variety of photos sent was great: from reportage to a record of internal experiences, from a portrait to a studied landscape. Even if some of these ideas are paths that others have walked before, it does not matter, because there is nothing new under the sun and each of us has to rediscover our own paths. Nevertheless, there were exceptional photos among them – important and strong, beautiful and fresh”- says the chairman of the jury Monika Redzisz.
243 authors qualified for the second stage, 82 of whom were invited to the post-competition exhibition. At the opening, which took place on March 19, we had the pleasure to meet the main prize winner. The jury – consisting of Monika Redzisz, Elżbieta Kopacz, Dorota Sobolewska and Agnieszka Basak-Wysota – gave the award to the photographer Monika Cichoszewska. As a reward, the photographer will have the possibility to present her works at her future solo exhibition at the CoCA’s venue. Cichoszewska is passionate about analogue photography, as well as manual and chemical processes in photography. She is a lover of outdoor photography and travels around Japan and Korea. A special place in her field of interest is the wet collodion technique, which she chose as her medium of artistic communication. In 2017, she was among those chosen as a laureate of the international competition, DEBUTS 2017, and took part in the prestigious exhibition in Lille at the Maison de la Photographie Gallery. She also presented her works at many solo and group shows in Poland.
The exhibition ‘Exhibit at CoCA 2021’ will be open until April 24.
At the same time, you can visit the solo exhibition of last year’s winner – Iwona Germanek.
‘Exhibit at CoCA’ winners exhibition, courtesy CoCa in Toruń
Iwona Germanek, “Blue chlorophyll”, courtesy: CocA in Toruń
Iwona Germanek, “For Pela”, courtesy: CocA in Toruń
Monika Cichoszewska, winners of the Manager Prize, courtesy: CocA in Toruń
Monika Cichoszewska, Swimmers
Monika Cichoszewska, Minimalism, ‘Nature’ series
Monika Cichoszewska, Minimalism, ‘Metamorphosis ‘ series
‘Exhibit at CoCA’ winners exhibition, Przemysław Kot’s photos, courtesy CoCa in Toruń
Iwona Germanek, “Herbarium”, courtesy: CoCA in Toruń
