Program 2023
15-25.06 Art_Inkubator
16-25.06 OFF Piotrkowska
Hope | Fotofestiwal 15-25.6.23
Inspired by the words of American writer and activist Rebecca Solnit, who stated that “hope calls for action; action is impossible without hope,” we have invited curators and artists who created seven individual and group exhibitions. Most of those have been developed especially for the 22nd Fotofestiwal. They are centred around the most topical social issues, including the climate change, wars, a growing wave of populism and nationalism, and the fight for the rights of minorities. The artists and their projects represent the modern visual language, within which photography is sometimes just an introduction to action or a summary of complex participatory processes and collaboration.
In this part of the programme, we focus on inspiring characters, bold artists and united communities, who prove that hope does not mean believing naively that one day everything will be fine. Instead, they will show us that commitment and non-indifference, as well as caring for one another and for our nearest environment can be the best step towards regaining the lost sense of agency.
We will see documentary work depicting various forms of resistance, support, and cooperation in Eastern and Western Europe, South America, and Middle East. In addition to that, examples of visual activism and social art will be presented, as well as works of artists fighting for the inclusion of various different narratives into the stories about the world.
Yet again, we have invited curators from two photography festivals we support: Month of Photography in Minsk (Belarus) and Odesa Photo Days (Ukraine) to work with us on the programme of Hope. Both those events cannot be organised in their mother countries due to political reasons.
In our programme, hope is demonstrated by the will to act, activism, and commitment. Additionally, the works selected for the exhibition prove that even in the times of the deepest darkness and in the cracks of uncertainty, we can develop some hidden positive scripts.
Marta Szymańska, Krzysztof Candrowicz
