01.06.2023 / at 19:30 / Stara Galeria ZPAF / Plac Zamkowy 8, Warsaw
Photographs from the series Hotel by Krzysztof Goluch depict the work of disabled people, while being a reflection on human destiny. The static figures in the photos seem to be frozen in time. No one here is running, rushing or struggling against the passing of time. The unhurried work, surrounded by color and doused in light, is endless. We will find nothing superfluous, and the clean composition is built by a specific arrangement of figures, objects and colors. To draw our attention to the world of disability, the author uses clear composition and expressive color, which are irresistibly associated with the paintings of Edward Hopper. The Hopperian realism of Goluch's photographs, filling large areas of the picture with pure color and atmospheric light, has as strong an impact as the American artist's paintings. It all seems to be set in a territory where time has lost any meaning. As he describes the photographs in the series Hotel Professor Vladimír Birgus, the cinematographer, balances between classic documentary and staged work through clean, thoughtful compositions.
Michal Szalast
(excerpted text is from the book Hotel)
From the Author:
Photo project Hotel I carried out from 2015 to 2020 at the St. Martin Vocational Activity Facility run by Caritas of the Archdiocese of Katowice. The time spent among the extraordinary people working at the Katowice ZAZ was very creative and inspiring for me. Above all, it was a meeting with the amazing and good people who make up the community of the Katowice ZAZ. In that time and place, photographs were created that significantly changed the direction of my work. Many thanks to my disabled photographic heroes for inviting me into their world. As Fr. Lukasz Stawarz - director of Caritas of the Archdiocese of Katowice - wrote, they allowed me into, in his words, "the existential loneliness of man at work, experienced by each of us and needed as a space to meet ourselves." I would like to thank the therapists and staff of the Katowice ZAZ for their help and kindness during the work on the Hotel project.
Krzysztof Goluch
Artist photographer and educator. Graduate of the Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology at Silesian University in Katowice and the Institute of Creative Photography at Silesian University in Opava.
Member of the Polish Association of Photographic Artists. In his work he deals with documentary photography, realizing subjects in cycles of long-term projects. His work oscillates around the problems of human existence, especially the lives of people with disabilities, with whom he has worked for several decades at the "Caritas" center in Knurów. For his work in 2017 he was awarded the medal "Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice" by Pope Francis. Winner of many photography competitions. Awarded the Polish Grand Press Photo in 2018,2021,2022.Author of photo albums "Every Seventh," "Hotel" and "Taste of Life." He has exhibited his photographs at home and abroad.