APRIL 4, 6:30 PM
OLD GALLERY ZPAF, WARSAW
This Thursday, February 4, at 6:30 pm, the opening of an exhibition of photographs by Marek Szyryk will take place. The Old Gallery ZPAF will take you on a journey to the land of happy childhood, where time seems to have stopped, fun and a sense of unfettered freedom, peace and joy dominate.
This coming Thursday, April 4, at 6:30 pm, the Old Gallery of the ZPAF in Warsaw will open its doors to photography lovers on the occasion of the opening of Mark Szyryk's exhibition entitled. "On the beauty of life." Organized by the Warsaw District of the Union of Polish Artists Photographers, the exhibition, although very personal, hits a universal note and also prompts the viewer to reflect on lost time and unrealized dreams. It also brings the possibility of a momentary break from the present and travel to a world of imagination and active presence, filled with the joy of experiencing moments.
As always, the opening will be an opportunity to meet and talk with the artist himself about his inspiration, artistic vision and experiences of those years.
Marek Szyryk in his own words "On the beauty of life":
The biggest difference is that technology and the internet has speeded everything up tremendously in just a few years. We take the instant transmission of photos and text for granted. As a photojournalist for 60 years, I well recall a different time when I would send packages of undeveloped rolls of film with hand written captions to editors all across the world. DHL and FedEx were vital for my international work, even the regular mail system on occasion. Then digital cameras and the internet came along, changing everything, and a lot more time had to be spent at the computer. Newspapers were the first to take advantage of the technology as they require a quick turnaround for news stories and photo quality was less demanding. It took longer for color magazines to adapt, the sort I worked with, who had to wait until digital photography improved. Online media didn't exist at all until relatively recently but it certainly didn't kill print media, as some predicted. The exhibition to which I am pleased to invite you is a record of the world as seen through the eyes of a boy.
I recorded photographs taken between my eleventh and sixteenth birthdays with simple Smiena and Zenit cameras. Back then - being young, knowing nothing about photography and with casual technical prowess, I was exclusively close to my peers. Guided by a kind of unconscious maturity, I recorded carefree moments, full of joy and spontaneity.
Today, looking at these photographs, I see not only a record of youthful years, but the need to reflect on age-old questions about dreams, aspirations and the need to face reality. Unpretentious, childish games of imagination are contrasted today with the realities of life as seen through the eyes of a mature man. Arrested, often in a dynamic frame, the moments from the land of freedom and happiness, tribute to the conviction of the beauty of life.
My nostalgic journey undoubtedly has a deeply personal value, but I hope it can stimulate memories and thus trigger already universal reflections on the passing of time, on perhaps unrealized childhood dreams.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marek Szyryk, born in 1966 in Niemodlin. He lives and works in Lodz. He is an academic lecturer, a full professor, and recently a pro-rector of the Film School in Lodz.
He has been a member of the Union of Polish Artists Photographers since 2000. He is a creator of classical photography and installations. He has organized many student exhibitions. He has presented his works at solo and group exhibitions in Poland and abroad. His path of photography bears the characteristics of an old craft, in which the artist not only created objects, but also perfected his personality through art. He often refers to Japanese haiku poetry by exploring what is fleeting, transient, fragile, yet eternal and beautiful. Being open to the contemporary language of photography, he will follow different photographic paths, enjoying this journey. He is the author of haiku volumes and the books "Touching Collodion" and "Exercises in Looking." His photographs can be found, among others, in the Museum of the History of Photography in Krakow, the Karkonosze Museum in Jelenia Gora and in private collections at home and abroad.
Media contact: Marzena Skalska, Office of the OW ZPAF; 511 381 480 marzena.skalska@zpaf.pl
We cordially invite you to the Old Gallery of ZPAF for the opening of this unique exhibition with the participation of the author!
More details at: https://www.zpaf.pl/aktualnosci/marek-szyryk-o-pieknie-zycia-sg/
Information about the event HERE.
Admission is free.
