City Program announced!
Premieres of projects by Weronika Gesicka and Magda Hueckel, the return to the art scene of Przemek Dzienis and the completion of 13 years of Wełnicki’s work with the theme of death; an exhibition by prominent Lithuanian artist Dovilė Dagienė-Doda and one of Romania’s best-known visual artists Iosif Király – we announce the City Program.
This year we will invite you to twelve exhibitions co-organized with city and university galleries and partner institutions from all over Poland. They will consist of an overview of the latest projects by contemporary Polish artists, student artists and two exhibitions representing Lithuanian and Romanian visual arts.
_ Weronika Gęsicka, Encyclopaedia
The premiere of the latest works by one of Poland’s best-known and award-winning artists working with photography. It’s a project consisting of several hundred fake entries found in encyclopedias, dictionaries and lexicons, illustrated by Veronika Gesicka using manipulated photographs from photo banks and images created with the help of AI.
_ Przemek Dzienis, Good grief
The first exhibition after a long break of new, personal works by one of the most interesting contemporary Polish photographers and music video directors with several Fryderyks to his credit. Good Grief is a surreal experience reminiscent of a visit to a cabinet of curiosities, where photography remains only a memory.
_ Dovilė Dagienė, Botanizerka
The first individual exhibition in Poland by the Lithuanian artist Dovilė Dagienė, dedicated to the story of a Holocaust survivor associated with Vilnius and Łódź, prof. Jakub Mowszowicz, who initiated the creation of the Łódź Botanical Garden in 1946.
_ Iosif Király, Old Memories Are Getting More Persistent
This will be the first solo exhibition in Poland of one of Romania’s most renowned and distinguished visual artists. The exhibition is organised as part of the Romania-Poland Cultural Season 2024-2025.The exhibition offers some of Kiraly’s favorite themes – synchronicity, symmetry, the feeling of déjà vu or false recognition.
_ Magda Hueckel, Nudes
Another premiere – by the versatile artist and co-director of the Oscar-nominated short film. The artist cut up a London nude manual, and from the remaining fragments created images in her own canon of beauty based on myths and indigenous beliefs. A peculiar ode to say goodbye to the patriarchal male gaze in the visual arts.
_ Grzegorz Wełnicki, No’am
The first cross-sectional exhibition of all of Wełnicki’s projects created with impressive consistency over the past thirteen years around the question of what lessons death brings. Series from India, Poland, Ukraine and Russia.
_ Łukasz Rusznica, WHEN YOU LOOK ME IN THE EYES TWICE, I’LL SPREAD MY LIPS OR CLENCH MY FISTS
A unique exhibition based on the Archives of the Institute of National Remembrance, with more than 40 million photographs. What is the system looking at? How does this looking reveal the system itself?
_ Jerzy Grzegorski, Impermanent Pleasures
The latest works by Jerzy Grzegorski – one of the most important figures of the Polish and Lodz art scene, co-founder of the Wschodnia Gallery – prepared especially for this edition of Fotofestiwal. Photo objects are primarily made from other people’s photographic prints, disregarded images, ownerless photos, which were once meant for private purposes only.
_ Różycki / Omulecki / Talaga, Exercitia photosophicalia. Photosophical Activities
Two artists have been invited to contemplate the work of Andrzej Różycki: Igor Omulecki and Bartłomiej Talaga. Exertitia photosophicalia. Photosophical Activities is the project that initiates the public activity of the Photosophical Archive of Andrzej Różycki.
_ The 3rd Artistic Schools Review, North-South
That is, two grand-prix exhibitions, in which 9 Polish Art Schools were invited to participate. A review of the most interesting phenomena and creative explorations of students.
_ Katarzyna Serkowska, Elusive
An exhibition by the winner of last year’s competition organized as part of the 2nd Art School Review. The exhibition by a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk will focus on the difficult-to-capture moments between states of java and dream.
_ Bartosz Kałużny Nachtigal, DYWERS
An exhibition dedicated to reclaiming representations of people from anywhere across the spectrum of neuroatypicality, gender identity, sexuality or ethnicity. Portraits co-created with the exhibition’s protagonists.
As always, the City Program, can become your guide to Lodz and an itinerary for visiting the city’s unique gallery spaces. Among them this year is the newest cultural institution in Lodz in the Tenement House of architect Hilary Majewski or the Museum of the City of Lodz in the Poznański Palace.
We encourage you to follow photofestival social media, where we will publish more information about the projects.
