Self-therapy with self-portraits - Matthew Kowalczyk

There is probably no photographer who has not taken a self-portrait. The most famous among the pioneers of the invention of photography was certainly Hippolyte Bayard, who as early as 1840, photographing himself as a "suicide," expressed his great regret to the whole world that it was not to him that the palm of precedence in the invention of photography was awarded, but to some Daguerre or Talbot. 

Later artists also very often planted themselves in front of their cameras. Jesters in front of Witkacy's lens, for example, if the author had not been "that" Witkacy, would probably not have been noticed at all as outstanding photographs that enter the top of the top history of Polish photography. Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz was a great artist, especially in literature, theater and painting, but, for example, in philosophy, to which he aspired, no longer. In my opinion, he was not a great photographer either, but I don't mind if someone thinks otherwise.

Jacek Malczewski's paintings would have lost a lot if not for the self-portraits they contained. To this day, art historians are still arguing over whether the compulsive casting of himself in various roles was due to the painter's narcissism or for other reasons. According to Zofia Katarzyna Posiadała, a researcher of Malczewski's work, The artist's tendency to put himself in paintings was not due to the painter's narcissism. - Painting himself was simply the easiest thing for him to do. He always painted from a model, and he always had himself at hand. He would simply take a mirror and paint.

The renaissance of self-portraiture in the mass culture of our time began a few years ago, when the era of the "selfie" and "slitfoci" and social media in general, which require the creation and publication of such photos, came about. People have even gone crazy to take the most original photo of themselves and for the sake of the likes are even willing to risk their lives. As I read "on the Internet", more than 120 people are killed in the world every year because of this.

Mateusz Kowalczyk is not threatened by this fate, because he approaches self-portraiture in a completely different way, one could say - seriously, although in his own way also boldly and even riskily. In his case, the risk (a small one!) is the possibility that viewers will reject images of his productions in which the main role is played by his body, often naked. True, Matthew is neither a pornographer nor an exhibitionist, but what he shows to the whole world also requires courage. Well, and acceptance of one's physicality, one has to please oneself. Fortunately, Matthew Kowalczyk photographs himself, I suppose, not for self-promotional purposes, like teenagers on Instagrams and other Tik Toks, but to show his creative abilities, to create photographs that one wants to look at. And you want to look at them because they surprise you. Once they are very classic, not to say glamorous, such as in the photographs by the roots of a tree, or a figure lying on an almost horizontal tree, and the other time they resemble photographs of dead people in a forensic facility in Sally Mann's photos or from police documentation of mishaps. 

I look forward to seeing Matthew Kowalczyk's further achievements. He has chosen a difficult creative path for himself. For a self-portrait is, on the one hand, "easy", because the model is always at hand, but also difficult, because it requires great creativity in coming up with scenes to photograph. Matthew's self-portraits are realized outdoors, not in a studio, which in itself is a big challenge for the model, who additionally, to make it not too easy, uses a not very handy equipment, i.e. a 4×5 inch camera, and triggers the shutter with a steam meter trigger hose ending in a "pear". I haven't seen the prints, but the large-format technique used, guarantees great copies.

Here is the information Matthew Kowalczyk sent about himself:

Jolanta Brach-Czaina, Between Existence and Nothingness, 2021: (...) When we try to understand the message flowing towards us from the existential concrete, we ultimately come to understand ourselves. Perhaps this is because we ourselves are the existential concrete, and that there is an encounter of existence in which a common sense is revealed. To understand within existence is to understand, to discover what is addressed to us as existing and a message through "something" that itself also exists. We must recognize the "something" as part of the whole and belonging to it in an essential way. So we must recognize the fact as existing and through its existence revealing our existence. The idea is to look at a stone, a shoe or a cockroach to understand what unites us and what divides us. How do we exist? In what direction? What values do we embody?....

Each of us gives ourselves a purpose for our existence. Everything happens for something. Just like existence, which needs direction on the way to goals. During the realization, I wanted to refer to the book "The Cracks of Existence", which raised many questions for me. One of them is "What is the meaning of my existence?". I approached the subject using a 4×5" large format camera, so that the photograph would be a kind of therapy, tranquility, as well as an escape.

Matthew Kowalczyk, Self-Portraits

Matthew Kowalczyk (1998, Poznań, Poland) - creates photographs and films. Mateusz's works have been exhibited in Poland, but also abroad. His photographs directly use the artist's everyday experiences as a starting point. Often these are instances that would have gone unnoticed in their original context. He touches on subjects close to him such as his existence. The closest to his realizations remains the widely understood self-portrait. He continues to develop his thoughts as well as his experiences. 

Bio - Education: 

Wielkopolska School of Photography in Poznan 2018 

Magdalena Abakanowicz University of Arts in Poznan 2019-2022, 1st degree. 

Magdalena Abakanowicz University of Arts in Poznań 2022- in progress, second degree. 

Awards: 

1st place GTF Annual Photography Exhibition, Gorzow Wlkp., 2022 

First place Vienna International Photo Award Vienna 2021, in the student category 

1st place Photo Confrontations, Gorzow Wlkp., 2020 

Third place XXV National Competition of Photography "Portrait", Trzcianka, 2020 

Second place GTF Annual Photography Exhibition, Gorzow Wlkp., 2019 

Third place GTF Annual Photography Exhibition, Gorzow Wlkp., 2017 

Publications: 

My Fyrtel Pix house, 2020 

Individual exhibitions: 

Nobody cares what I feel, Pix.House Poznań, 2022

Group exhibitions: 

GTF Annual Photography Exhibition, Gorzow Wlkp., 2022

Tokyo International Photo Award, Tokyo, 2021

Vienna International Photo Award, Vienna, 2021. 

Kraków Photo Fringe, Kraków, 2021 

Galeria Centrala, WITRYNA open call, Poznań, 2020 

Photo Confrontations, Gorzow Wlk. 2020.

IV International Biennale of Photography Definition of Space, Kielce, 2020. 

17 Rybnik Festival of Photography, Rybnik, 2020 

XXV National Competition of Photography "Portrait", Trzcianka, 2019 

Exhibit in Krosno, Krosno, 2019 

GTF Annual Photography Exhibition, Gorzow Wlkp, 

2018 Lodz Photo Fair, Lodz, 2017. 

GTF Annual Photography Exhibition, Gorzow Wlkp.