Life is never enough / Arkadiusz Gola (photographs), Zbigniew Rokita (text) / Sleńdzinski Gallery, 5 Victoria St., 15-070 Bialystok / Exhibition duration: October 25-December 8, 2024.
"On the table lies a naked woman, about sixty years old, cause of death: intracerebral hemorrhage. She has been dead for several days, but her chest is moving: up, down, up, down. It's the apparatus that artificially sustains vital functions to keep the organs in the best possible condition. The song Everything's Gonna Be Alright - >>Everything's Gonna Be Alright<< - is playing on the radio at the moment."
This is an excerpt from a text by Zbigniew Rokita, which is published in Arkadiusz Gola's photobook "Life is never enough". The book accompanies an exhibition with the same title. Its opening at the Sleńdzinski Gallery in Bialystok will take place on October 25, 2024.
Gola has been involved in documentary photography since 1989. A few years later, he began working as a photojournalist for "Dziennik Zachodni." He is mainly interested in the social changes taking place in Silesia. He penetrates various environments and spaces, creating a collective portrait of social groups whose lives are intertwined with their determining environment.
The exhibition in preparation is the stories of people who have received new life through transplantation. Gola depicts people in a liminal situation, photographing their loved ones and surroundings in an empathetic, understanding and respectful manner. There is no sensationalism in these images. The artist, working in difficult hospital conditions, where the drama of a terminal illness is taking place, accentuates perseverance and human dignity at the moment of final decisions. As he himself said in an interview: - Photos should serve something (...) I would like my photographs to be needed by people.
On the one hand, the presented selection of photos, and the text, is an excellent example of humanistic reportage. The authors, having spent several years documenting the titanic work of doctors from the Silesian Center for Heart Diseases in Zabrze and, more recently, from the Department of Vascular Surgery and Transplantation at the University Clinical Hospital in Bialystok, have focused on capturing real, authentic moments. It's not about stylization or staging, but about faithfully presenting reality as it is, without unnecessary manipulation.
On the other hand, it is an effective tool in a campaign to promote transplantation. A visual message often appeals more strongly to audiences than words alone, and in this case, Gola's well-chosen photos, and Zbigniew Rokita's text increase the effectiveness of such activities. The key is to focus on positive aspects, such as saving lives, patients' personal stories, and the role of doctors and donors in the process.
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The exhibition is accompanied by a photo book under the same title, containing photographs by Arkadiusz Gola and texts by Zbigniew Rokita. The book will be promoted on October 26 at the Sleńdzinski Gallery at 5 Wiktorii Street in Bialystok. The selection of photographs for the publication was made by Mariusz Forecki, and the graphic design was done by Andrzej Dobosz.
The partner of the Sleńdzinski Gallery in the production of the exhibition and the publication is the Metropolitan Authority of the Upper Silesia and Zagłębie Metropolitan Area.
Honorary patronage: Medical University of Bialystok; Silesian Medical University in Katowice, University Clinical Hospital in Bialystok, Silesian Center for Heart Diseases in Zabrze and Prof. Zbigniew Religa Cardiac Surgery Foundation in Zabrze. The artistic patron of the project is the Institute of Creative Photography in Opava at the University of Silesia.
Arkadiusz Gola - photographer, exhibition curator, lecturer at the Institute of Creative Photography at Silesian University in Opava. Member of the Union of Polish Artists Photographers, brand ambassador of FUJIFILM. Since 1991 he has worked as a press photojournalist, and since 1996 - in the editorial office of "Dziennik Zachodni" in Upper Silesia. Arkadiusz Gola's photographs have been presented at numerous exhibitions at home and abroad, and can also be found in the collections of the Silesian Museum in Katowice, the City Museum in Zabrze, the Walery Rzewuski Museum of the History of Photography in Cracow and the Umění Museum in Olomouc.
Zbigniew Rokita - reporter, editor, specializes in Eastern Europe and Upper Silesia. Author of reporter books "Odrzania. Journey through the Recovered Territories" (2023), "Kajś. A Tale of Upper Silesia" (awarded a double Nike Literary Award: jury and readers; 2020) and "Królowie strzelców. Football in the Shadow of Empire" (2018). Author of plays. Regular contributor to Tygodnik Powszechny. A native of Gliwice, he lives in Katowice.
Opening (free admission): 25.10.2024 (Friday), 5:00 pm
Place: Sleńdzinski Gallery, 5 Victoria St., Bialystok