Autumn is a time for numerous cultural events, and often, due to their sheer amount, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and unintentionally overlook some of the most significant ones. One event that definitely should not be missed is the International Photography Festival INTERPHOTO, held in Białystok (September 26 – October 31). This event serves as an international platform for the exchange of experiences and ideas between artists from Poland and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe.
The Białystok festival has operated as a biennale since 2013. The organizers place a strong emphasis on education, focusing on social and historical issues while promoting projects that bring attention to events occurring in Central and Eastern Europe. In doing so, they demonstrate the influence of artists from this part of Europe on the global development of art, highlighting the creative dialogue that trancends borders. The festival includes not only exhibitions but also workshops, film screenings, portfolio reviews, competitions, lectures, presentations, author meetings, and live music photography show.
UNDERSTANDING HUMANITY THROUGH IMAGES
The theme of this year’s INTERPHOTO edition is “Collecting Worlds.” The artists focus on a historical-visual analysis of the impact of Polish art on both Eastern and Western Europe, centering on the perspective of collecting as embedded in museum and private collections, in comparison to individual project exhibitions. All the projects presented during the festival are showcased in line with the ideas of Aby Warburg (1866 – 1929). Aby Warburg, a German cultural theorist, studied antiquity and the Renaissance and introduced the method of iconographic analysis, which involves recognising and studying the motifs contained in works of art and interpreting their content, symbols, allegories, or attributes. A key aspect of the iconographic analysis method was the comparison of works or artifacts from different eras that, on the surface, appeared unrelated. It should also be noted that for Warburg, cultural development was not seen as a chronological sequence but rather the spread of symbolic and allegorical energy.
Warburg’s Mnemosyne Atlas is a concept of memory understood as a visual archive of European cultural history and a reconstruction of collective memory. The curators and artists of this year’s festival are particularly interested in the process of creating this atlas and refer to it throughout the festival. Ultimately, following Warburg’s ideas, the method allows for an understanding of human nature and psychology through imagery. Thus, the interpretation of the artwork itself becomes secondary.
ASSOCIATIONS
The perspective of collecting
Referring to the main theme of the festival, “Collecting Worlds,” emphasis is placed on the need to organise and describe the world. This is achieved by collectors, who create collections according to rules they establish, such as the type of works collected or the systematic approach to building a collection. Festival participants have the opportunity to familiarise themselves not only with museum collections but also with private ones. The collections on display engage in dialogue with other exhibitions at the festival. The way they are presented encourages viewers to interpret them based on personal associations, placing less importance on chronological or purely descriptive interpretations.
STILL LIFE/SET ADAPTATION
An alternative way of perceiving photography – migrating images
The photography collection of the Museum of Art in Olomouc, established in 1966, is the third-largest public collection in the Czech Republic. It includes photographic works primarily from the 20th century, focusing on Czech avant-garde photography, though it also features works by contemporary Czech artists, such as Jan Saudek.
Štěpánka Bieleszova, the collection’s curator, has prepared an exhibition focusing on the forms of still life in photography from the late 19th century to the present. The exhibition follows Aby Warburg’s ideas, presenting a sequence of works intended to resemble a collection of images from a historical illustrated atlas. Thus, thematic examples of images created across different periods are displayed. It is also worth noting that the exhibition does not include explanatory texts, as the curator encourages intuitive interpretation of the photographs based on the viewer’s visual memory. Through this exhibition, Štěpánka Bieleszova invites viewers to explore an alternative way of perceiving photography, emphasizing the movement of images through space and time.
Artists:
Petr Borovec, Jindřich Brok, Hugo Demartini, Josef Ehm, Libor Fára, Jaromír Funke, Jan Hajn, Miroslav Hák, Karel Otto Hrubý, Michal Kalhous, Karel Kašpařík, Běla Kolářová, Marie Kratochvílová, Rupert Kytka, Emila Medková, Josef Mikulka, Kasia Navarra, Ladislav Postupa, Ivo Přeček, Vilém Reichmann, Jaroslav Rössler, Pavel Rudolf, Jiří Sever, Miloslav Stibor, Josef Sudek, Jan Svoboda, Jindřich Štyrský, Milena Valušková, Milan Vopálenský, Alicja Wróblewska, Petr Zatloukal, Jana Želibská.
“VISIONS”
Individual Innovations
During the festival, viewers will have the opportunity to explore Lithuanian photography, presented in an exhibition titled “VISIONS.” The works on display come from the collections of the Šiauliai Photography Museum, the Lithuanian Photographers’ Association, and the Lithuanian National Museum of Art. The curators of the exhibition, Valentyn Odnoviun and Vilija Ulinskytė-Balzienė, have taken on the task of showcasing the intricate and complex development of Lithuanian photography, focusing their attention on avant-garde, experimental, and conceptual works. The pieces presented challenge conventional photography, highlighting the continuous pursuit of originality and self-expression. Each innovation brings new value to the overall collection of Lithuanian photography, celebrating rich diversity.
Artists:
Pozasila Kartulariusz, Vitalijus Butyrinas, Aleksandras Macijauskas, Vitas Luckus, Virgilijus Šonta, Violeta Bubelytė, Algirdas Šeškus, Alfonsas Budvytis, Remigijus Pačėsa, Vytautas Balčytis, Arūnas Kulikauskas, Giedrius Liagas.
PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE SCHUPMANN COLLECTION
A Journey through the History of the Photography Medium in West Germany
Referring to the festival’s main theme, “Collecting Worlds,” the private collection of Ingrid and Michael Schupmann can be seen as a reflection of Aby Warburg’s ideas. The creators of this photography collection rejected traditional museum methods when selecting works, focusing instead on establishing a personal dialogue with the photographs. This collection offers a unique narrative, primarily showcasing black-and-white analogue photography. It highlights the various trends that developed after World War II in West Germany. The photographs in the Schupmann collection are examples of subjective photography, which continues to inspire the evolution of photographic form worldwide. Successive generations of photographers engage in a creative dialogue with the works of artists in the Schupmann collection. A notable mention includes Bernd and Hilla Becher, lecturers at the Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts, whose photography philosophy shaped many exceptional artists, such as Andreas Gursky, Thomas Ruff, Candida Höfer, and Thomas Struth.
Artists:
Thomas Anschütz, Dieter Appelt, Bernd & Hilla Becher, Kilian Breier, Hermann Försterling, Verena von Gagern, André Gelpke, F.C. Gundlach, Heinz Hajek-Halke, Ruth Hallensleben, Robert Häusser, Karl Martin Holzhäuser, Heinrich Heidersberger, Gottfried Jäger, Peter Keetman, Thomas Kellner, Barbara Klemm, Jaschi Klein, Siegfried Lauterwasser, Charlotte March, Will McBride, Stefan Moses, Peter Neusser, Floris Neusüss, Andreas Müller-Pohle, Regina Relang, Wolfgang Reisewitz, Toni Schneiders, Otto Steinert, Horst Wackerbarth, Ludwig Windstosser.
“INTIMATE RELATIONS”
A Dialogue of Seemingly Different Works
“Intimate Relations” is an exhibition composed of works from the collection of Cezary Pieczyński. The creator of this collection shares a similar approach to that of the Schupmanns when it comes to selecting works. By focusing on emotional dialogue, he gathers a wide range of photographs. In Pieczyński’s collection, one can find works by 19th-century avant-garde pioneers alongside pieces from contemporary artists. He is interested in the motifs and figures that shape art and artistic phenomena. Each artist in Pieczyński’s collection presents a unique, individual language through which they express their view of the world. The works on display may seem different at first glance, but in reality, they complement and engage in dialogue with one another, even though the photographers may have never met.
Artists:
Berenice Abbott, Dieter Appelt, Anonymous, Janusz Bąkowski, Zdzisław Beksiński, Hans Bellmer, Horace Bristol, Sophie Calle, Larry Clark, Zbigniew Dłubak, Nan Goldin, Heinz Hajek-Halke, Jerzy Kosiński, Romuald Kutera, Anna Kutera, Konrad Kuzyszyn, Przemysław Kwiek, Andrzej Lachowicz, Jerzy Lewczyński, Man Ray, Antoni Mikołajczyk, Pierre Molinier, Eadweard Muybridge, Nadar (Gaspard-Félix Tournachon), Fortunata Obrąpalska, Marek Piasecki, Aleksandr Rodchenko, Thomas Ruff, Aaron Siskind, Mikołaj Smoczyński, Paul Strand, Christer Strömholm, Hellen van Meene, Ryszard Waśko, Stefan Wojnecki.
DIALOGUE
Individual Projects
In addition to the exhibitions of works from various collections, participants at the INTERPHOTO festival will also find exhibitions focused on individual works. Following Aby Warburg’s concept, all the exhibitions engage in a dialogue with one another, offering viewers the opportunity to participate in a play of associations.
EVA RUBINSTEIN “TRACES OF EXISTENCE. Photographs from the 1970s-1990s”
Spirituality and Expression of the Moment
Eva Rubinstein made her debut as a photographer relatively late, as she began working professionally in photography after turning thirty. However, she quickly recognised her ability to see the extraordinary in the most ordinary, seemingly mundane situations. Rubinstein sought intriguing motifs, which she captured with her camera.
She learned photography from notable figures such as Lisette Model and Diane Arbus, an influence clearly visible in her work. Initially, she was interested in reportage, but over time she shifted her focus to portrait and documentary photography. Her works can be described as ascetic, with specific lighting and radical framing playing significant roles. However, more important than technique for Rubinstein was the content and the emotions conveyed in the photographs.
In the 1980s, she taught photography at the Łódź Film School. Her most significant exhibition in Poland took place in 1984 at the Museum of Art in Łódź, curated by Urszula Czartoryska, an art historian specialising in photography.
MELLOW APOCALYPSE
Breaking Beyond Imposed Schemes
An individual exhibition of works by Alnis Stakle, a Latvian photographer and professor of photography at Riga Stradins University, curated by Grzegorz Jarmocewicz, allows viewers to explore the artist’s collages. These collages are a record of his exploration of the visual language embedded in images from various periods and fields. The artist used images from the open collections of art museums, scientific institutions, and others, which represent the codes of our visual language. To break beyond imposed frameworks, or visual codes shaping our perceptions, Stakle attempted to decode images through unusual juxtapositions. The way they are interpreted depends on the viewer’s beliefs, interests, or desires.
The collages draw on technical ideas and codes established in visual communication, crossing boundaries of eras, media, and cultures. These connections can be traced in the postures and gestures of people, the color schemes, and similar depictions of objects and architecture. The technical execution of the collages relies on image post-processing software algorithms, which allow for accuracy and precision in the representation of the images.
ONGOING RETROSPECTIVE
Signs and Symbols
During the festival, viewers also have the opportunity to explore the work of Grzegorz Jarmocewicz—a photographer, educator, curator, juror of international photography competitions, portfolio reviewer, and co-founder and Artistic Director of the Białystok INTERPHOTO International Photography Festival. The exhibition offers a retrospective of the artist’s extensive work, which has spanned the field of photography since 1989.
Jarmocewicz’s artistic activities focus on the transformation of human life in a historical context, using signs and symbols from visual culture. The structure of Jarmocewicz’s artistic cycles is diverse, encompassing intermedia works, the use of photographic emulsion on canvas, objects, and classical techniques with multiple exposure and a 4×5 pinhole camera. He is also no stranger to photographic experimentation.
Historical themes are clearly visible in his work (for example, in projects such as “In Memory of Reflected Glances,” “Every Past Moment. Photography as Memory,” or “On Both Sides of the Border. Why Do I Fall in Love with Lithuania”). However, more recently, the artist has also focused on exploring the impact of photographic and film images on society (in the project “Camera Opresiva”). He has explored cognitive and descriptive references to mechanical recording devices used for surveillance and social control on multiple levels. He also investigated the impact of algorithms and artificial intelligence on human behaviour.
