MAY 9 / AT 7 PM / OLD GALLERY ZPAF / WARSAW
IS AND ISN'T – Reflections on the nature of reality and the uncertainty of cognition
This Thursday, May 9, at 7:00 pm, the opening of a photography exhibition by Pawel Zak will take place. The Old Gallery of ZPAF invites you to the space of philosophical reflections on growing up and understanding the surrounding reality on the example of the sky, which becomes a symbol of lost childhood hopes, but also evidence of the changeability of inner experience of the world.
This Thursday, May 9, at 7:00 pm, the Old Gallery of the ZPAF in Warsaw will open its doors to photography lovers on the occasion of the opening of an exhibition by Pawel Zak titled "There is and there is not. "It Is and It Isn't." Organized by the Warsaw District of the Union of Polish Artists Photographers, the exhibition is an attempt to redefine the concept of heaven, but also reality in general, as experienced through the eyes of an adult, in a clash with children's imaginations. It touches on the subject of the uncertainty of cognition through the ambiguity of the concept of the sky, which becomes a visual representation of other spheres of life affected by this uncertainty.
As always, the opening will be an opportunity to meet and talk with the artist himself about his inspiration, artistic vision and photographic experience.
In addition, the "Is and Isn't" exhibition is part of this year's Night of Museums, which will include an additional meeting with the artist on Saturday, May 18, at 8 p.m. at the ZPAF's Old Gallery.
Pawel Zak in his own words about "Is and Isn't":
The series of photographs "It is and it is not" is devoted to the sky and its photographic representations. In it, I refer to the ambiguity of the word "heaven", present in Polish and many other languages, in which it means both the space extending above the surface of the earth, and the abode of God, to which we are heading to live in eternal happiness.
I recall childhood struggles with the concept of heaven, chaotic and naive attempts to embrace it with a child's mind, once expressed in an attempt to reach it with a snowball, other times in the expectation that since God is there, then, gazing intensely at the sky, I will see him there. I also recall childhood fears that what I see as the sky is merely a projection onto an infinitely large screen that will one day go out, revealing a boundless void.
Photography, mimetic by its very nature, is increasingly becoming a simulacrum, a substitute for reality, almost indistinguishable from it, which satisfies the same needs as reality itself.
By introducing material interventions that disrupt the smooth, easy-to-read image, I ask questions about the nature of reality and its, mediated by photography, experience.
I confront my past perceptions with today's vision. There is not only a longing for lost hopes, but also a conviction that heaven is an inner experience, accessible sometimes for a brief moment, and that the limits of knowledge are surprisingly close.
Uncertainty of cognition is an experience concerning not only the sky, it (this experience) extends to many key areas of life, and the sky seems to be the most universal exemplification of the area of uncertainty.
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://zpaf.pl/aktualnosci/p-zak-jest-i-nie-jest-sg-zpaf/
Information about the event HERE.
Admission is free.
Organizer: Warsaw District of the Union of Polish Artists Photographers
Opening: Thursday, May 9 at 7:00 pm, Exposure to: June 23, 2024
Media Patronage: Kwartalnik Fotografia, Fotopolis.pl
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paweł Żak studied social sciences at the University of Warsaw. Graduated from the Faculty of Multimedia Communication at the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznań. Doctor of fine arts. He teaches photography at the Faculty of Journalism at Warsaw University and at the ZPAF Photography Studio. Member of the Union of Polish Artists Photographers in the Warsaw District since 1995.
He is the winner of, among others, the Prix de la Lumière in the European Photography Contest - Vevey, Switzerland 1998. Since 1994, he has participated in dozens of group exhibitions and had dozens of solo exhibitions at home and abroad, including at the Arles Festival in 2004. His works are in the collections of: Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, the National Museum in Warsaw, the Center for Contemporary Art in Warsaw, the Museum of Art in Lodz, and in private collections in Poland, France, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Brazil, the UK and the USA.
Read more on the author's website: https://pawelzak.com