June 12 – June 22
Premiere of Yorgos Lanthimos’ exhibition, projects that uncover American propaganda and fiction, many projects in the open and urban space and the first photobook exhibition fully dedicated to children – Fotofestiwal has announced the highlights of its 24th edition.
The festival is one of the most important events related to photography in Poland and it will take place on 12-22 June in the post-industrial city of Łódź.
The photographic world of Yorgos Lanthimos
Jitter Period is the first in Europe and second in the world exhibition of photographs by Yorgos Lanthimos, the visionary Greek filmmaker, known for some of the most exceptional and most widely discussed films of the 21st century: Dogtooth, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Poor Things.
«Still not enough people know that Lanthimos is a photographer too», says Krzysztof Candrowicz, member of the Fotofestiwal’s Programme Board. «And mind you, his debut photobook sold out within just a week. We’ve decided that this material must be shown to a wider audience».
At Fotofestiwal, you may recognise the imagery and characters of his two latest productions Poor Things and Kinds of Kindness, yet the use of a different medium unfolds an unfamiliar perspective.
Jitter Period, reveals an unseen side of the reality behind filmmaking. The landscapes, portraits and fleeting moments between takes, juxtapose the beauty of storytelling with the mayhem that inevitably comes with it. The display itself will be labyrinth-like – the artist invites the audience to get lost in it and welcome the sense of disorientation as an inherent part of the experience.
The exhibition will only be available on 12- 22 June in the Art_Inkubator Festival Centre.
The US propaganda, systems and beliefs – Main Programme
Fotofestiwal is often the only chance to see internationally-awarded projects in Poland. The festival organisers will display 14 exhibitions in the Art_Inkubator Festival Centre including one of the most interesting exhibits of last year’s Rencontres d’Arles, winner of the prestigious Prix Elysée: Model Citizens by Debi Cornwall. The artist, who abandoned her career as a lawyer to become a photographer and whose premiere book was hailed as one of the most interesting publications in 2017 by The New York Times, will show two projects and a film in Łódź. She photographed a surreal world of mock-up villages and fictitious communities of role-players created by the US government for the purpose of training its soldiers, and also explored the US visual propaganda promoted in films and museums.
Still in the main programme, we will see projects focusing on the systems and beliefs around which we develop our image of the world. This includes Michał Sita’s photographs of historical reconstructions of Polish events by Polish people; Hoda Afshar’s project about the wind that, according to an ancient Iranian belief, can possess people; and the work of Salvatore Vitale, exploring the neocolonial traits of virtual realities.
The main programme concludes with a look at the political situation in the Middle East, this time through Maen Hammad’s proposal, focusing on the tenacity of young Palestinian people under Israeli occupation; and with the flaneuristic vision of Máté Bartha over the cityscape, as an attempt to find structure and meaning in this often arbitrary world.
Opening of the YMCA historic swimming pool and events in the city space
US artist Jason Fulford will prepare a site-specific installation in an historical special venue, open to the general audience thanks to the festival. In the exceptional YMCA swimming pool, the artist will showcase images from his photobook Lots of Lots. «Fotofestiwal is also a great opportunity to see some of Łódź’s hidden gems. Every year, we make sure to invite our audience to spaces that are normally closed to the public», says Franek Ammer from the Festival Programme Board.
Speaking of spaces that make up the city’s history, the main weekend of Fotofestiwal will be filled with the rhythm and beats of Ravekjavik, our partner festival, which is organised in the post-industrial spaces of former textile warehouses.
The first exhibition of photobooks for children in Poland and many other photobooks exhibitions and events
Photobooks were always an important part of the festival’s programme. Some of this year’s highlights include Let’s Play Photobooks! is an interactive exhibition on photobooks designed for children and the young at heart — the first of this kind in Poland; and the exhibition In Protest We Trust, from the Protestinphotobook collection.
Also this year, Fotofestiwal will present a special section of books on Palestine, and once more the beloved Dummy Award and the annual event of brunch with photobooks, with book premieres.
The Night of Photography and dozens of accompanying moments
Between 12 and 22 June, Fotofestiwal will open 25 exhibitions for various audiences. That includes the premiere of Szymon Rogiński’s project, exhibition of historic photos in the Museum of the City of Łódź, Sophie Thun in Muzeum Sztuki, and over 30 accompanying exhibitions in the SpinOFF program.
We also extend here our invitation to a few dozen other events, including slide shows in Stary Rynek (the city’s Old Market), in collaboration with Futures – The European Photography Platform and PhMuseum, and many music gigs.
Other activities of the programme and more info will be announced over the spring months on the organisers’ website www.fotofestiwal.com and social media.
