Creator of the exhibition 10, photographer Henry Thomas Kaiser, presents a personal interpretation of the Ten Commandments; a guide that, in an increasingly secularized society, is a signpost for some to find the right direction, and a series of prohibitions and restrictions for others. In his surprising vision of the biblical code, treating its message as an integral part of our culture, the author takes into account civilizational progress, current life circumstances and the diversity of societies.
Each photo in this exhibition is striking in its richness of content and meaning, so it is worth looking at these works to delve into their multi-layered message. The following examples are an attempt to look carefully at what has been depicted by Henrik Thomas Kaiser.
Photogram Thou shalt have no other gods before me: a burned cross as symbolism of Christ's physical passion? Perhaps an act of rebirth, rising from the ashes? Or perhaps a disagreement that one of the leading religions crossed Religions other religions that are important to many people? Are there alien civilizations on planets visible in the distance, and if so, are there religions there as well?
Photogram Don't steal: the problem of today - identity theft, impersonation. Daily life spent mainly online; every click leaves various traces, difficult to remove. A finger touching the screen as a symbol of initiating the theft. The stolen computer is connected to other computers. A gigantic network of connections is formed and people are exposed to the theft of their works and their identities. Is this also our finger?
What it represents creature on a photograph Do not covet your neighbor's wife? Is it a specific figure, or solely a symbol of desire as an emotion?
In photograms 10 nothing is obvious. Walking step by step along the path of the exhibition, we enter the world of the artist, in which we sacrum collides with profane. Looking doesn't mean seeing. At this visually appealing exhibition, it is worth slowing down, stopping to see much more in the photographs presented than what is visible at first glance. It is the detail, the nuance, the clue hidden by the author that is important. Without succumbing to routine associations and without treating this exhibition as a religious message, it is worth entering into a mental polemic with the author provoking towards it.
Henry Thomas Kaiser - was born on July 13, 1951 in Cracow. He is a graduate of the Cracow University of Technology. He began taking photographs in the 1970s as part of the Krakow Photographic Society. He won about 60 awards at international and national photo contests. He cooperated with the press. He headed the Centrum Photographic Group, with which he realized a number of artistic activities. His first exhibitions are associated with Krakow's Piwnica pod Baranami: Pulsations (1973) i Barriers (1974). About the exhibition People of the streets of Krakow At the ZPAF gallery, he says this: I have always been interested in people - there is something different, interesting, unexpected in everyone. In 1977, he became a member of the Union of Polish Artists Photographers (ZPAF). In 1981 he moved to the United States, where he initially worked in reputable photo laboratories. Since 1987, Henryk Tomasz Kaiser has been photographing exclusively as a freelance photographer, working with agencies, the so-called photo banks (Stock Agencies). In the 1990s, he reached a record number of more than 1,500 publications per year, which puts him at the top of the world in this field. His photographs can be seen almost everywhere - from postcards to magazines and calendars to large billboards. Among the many companies and magazines that use Kaiser's photos are "National Geographic`, British Airways, General Motors , Microsoft, Simon & Schuster, Advertising Unlimited, Reader's Digest, Sony, Fuji, Polish LOT, among others. A member of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP.) Henryk Tomasz Kaiser returned to Krakow in 2003. In 2009, he published a photo album Krakow and Us. He is the author of 21 solo exhibitions.
Kaiser's work clearly reflects his life and fascinations: All my work is an exponent of my life. Each exhibition illustrates the successive stages of the changes taking place in me.