The opening of Franciszek Kupczyk's exhibition took place on May 26 at the CKiS Wieża Ciśnień Gallery as part of the 3rd Konin Photo Festival. FOCUS ON THE WARTA. The photographs presented on this day are a continuation of the now 20-year-old project Camaldolese Launched with the release of an album titled. Camaldolese in the service of God and people and an exhibition in 2003 Ora et Labora.
The motivation for my photographs - Francis Kupczyk says. was a simple curiosity about the life of monks in their cenobitic environment and, at the same time, an attempt to answer the question of how, in the age of computers, the Internet and the world of consumption, it is possible to devote oneself to hermitic life and, in accordance with the monastic vocation "Ora et Labora", to devote oneself to prayer and work. I was aware that this is not a "self-play" topic, that not every mortal is given the opportunity to enter for more than a month behind the monastery walls and observe the monks in their daily life. So I prepared for this work first of all mentally, that is, with humility and empathy. Substantive preparation was also important in this situation, that is, familiarization with the monastic rule, constitutions and customs of the Camaldolese monks. The photographs presented in the exhibition show the monks in the space of silence of the hermitage, often sunk in contemplation, which appears as a special element in the context of hermitic solitude, often also a spiritual struggle with their weaknesses. I also show scenes in their daily duties, which are also a form of prayer. While working on this series, I wanted to take such photographs that would make the viewer reflect on the condition of a man enclosed in a strict monastic rule, physically separated by gates and walls from the modern world. By the way, I decided to ask myself: who am I and where am I going?
The overall impression that the viewer of these works, viewing them in silence and concentration, may have is well reflected in the words of Robert Brzêcki: In the pictures of the Konin-based artist, the viewer will have the opportunity to see that the elementary truths of earth and sky and human culture are based on a simple rule, becoming a source of mystical joy, while minimalism - the fullness of existence. On the other hand, experts and lovers of the art of photography will find craftsmanship of the highest order in Kupczyk's work.
During the vernissage Father Stanislaw, the Prior, said that there are only two people in Poland who have access to the Camaldolese world hidden in Bieniszewo from the eyes of the laity - these are Adam Bujak and Franciszek Kupczyk. One could say that this is the best recommendation for the author of the exhibition Silence of the hermitage.
The catalog accompanying the exhibition includes an introductory text by Zbigniew Tomaszczuk, who wrote, among other things: The photographs of Franciszek Kupczyk would not have had a chance to exist if it were not for the conviction of the members of the Camaldolese order about the almost missionary value of photographic recording of the sphere of the sacred. And what is important is both what the photos show us, allowing access to spaces that are inaccessible on a daily basis, but also that they present a way of photography based on the interesting form of the shots themselves, which in the case of Kupczyk's work go beyond mere recording towards giving the photos an intriguing yet clearly constructed frame. There is a sincerity and simplicity emanating from the photographs, which in an era of widespread manipulation of images, a feature of many contemporary visual media, is something of utmost importance. The photographs create a mood of contemplation virtually absent from everyday contact with the digital world.
The vernissage was held with the participation of a mainly Konin-based audience, which filled the entire Gallery space. The opening of the vernissage was preceded by a show of more than a hundred works (slideshow) from the Bieniszew series projected onto the screen, accompanied by a soundtrack from Marcin Olinski's documentary film recorded during the monks' original prayer meditations. Then the floor was taken by Gallery curator Robert Brzęcki, Renata Rudowicz on behalf of the Festival organizers, and - which was a positive surprise for everyone and an event extremely rare for the Camaldolese monks - Prior Father Stanislaw, who spoke for a while about the strict rule of his order and the presence in it of photographer Franciszek Kupczyk. The exhibition can be viewed until August 31, 2023.
Text and photo report from the opening: Krzysztof Szymoniak
