Results of the Photographic Publication of the Year 2024
Traditionally – the opening of the Fotofestiwal is at the same time the announcement of the results of the competition for the Photographic Publication of the Year 2024. We congratulate the winners and winners, and thank the jury and partners for another edition of this important initiative for us and the environment.
Out of 56 publications submitted for the competition, the jury have selected a shortlist of 22. You can see all the shortlisted books in the exhibition at Fotofestiwal unitl June 23rd in the festival center Art_Inkubator.
This year, the jury members were: Idalia Smyczyńska, Nicolas Grospierre, Olga Drenda, Aleksandra Żalińska, Artur Pławski, Franek Ammer, and Paweł Rubkiewicz. The jury deliberations were coordinated and organised by Joanna Kinowska.
In the exhibition, you will see a variety of publications, including monographs, auteur books, zines and low-cost publications, self-published works, as well as exhibition catalogues and historical, co-authored books.
Make sure to remember one particular title, Adrian Wykrota’s Sztuka poza sztuką? Fotografia dokumentalna w Polsce (Art Beyond Art? Documentary Photography in Poland). It is not a photobook, but it is about photography.
We are bringing it to your attention, because, among other things, it recognises the important role of the photobook – as a medium and a process, but also as the designer’s work. Plus, it lists the most interesting book initiatives in Poland in recent years.
The books presented in the exhibition are all very high quality publications. They are consistent, well-thought-out, and brilliantly designed. Some of them are particularly outstanding and deserve your special attention, and these are the books that are awarded this year.
The main prize – The Krzysztof Makowski Award and the title of Photographic Publication of the Year 2024 goes to:
Anthology of Glances. The Warsaw Ghetto: Photographs and Films
concept, selection and study: Anna Duńczyk-Szulc, Agnieszka Kajczyk
editing: Aleksandra Kędziorek, Anna Jaroszuk
design: Ania Nałęcka-Milach
publisher: Museum of Warsaw
co-publisher: The Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute
We are awarding this publication for the grand scale of work, the truly encyclopaedic, comprehensive and thorough documentation, for an overview of the state of research, and for laying the foundations for future inquiries, be they scholarly or personal. This monumental book is a result of long years of hard work. When it comes to design, it is exceptionally well-balanced. “Antologia spojrzeń” should become a compulsory reading.
Jury special mentions:
- Phobos Ex Machina, Ewa Ciechanowska & Artur Urbański, editing: Agnieszka Skolasińska, design: Bartłomiej Talaga, publisher: Filmschool Publishing House
For the amazing concept and consistency, both formal and mental. For portraying astoundingly well how fear can be used to manipulate us. For balancing on the boundary of photography, provocation, document, and fiction.
- Tyski Klub Fotograficzny KRON. Śląsk 1978–1983, Michał Cała, Tadeusz Kluba, Krzysztof Pilecki, Henryk Rączkowski, Mieczysław Wielomski, Zbigniew Zalewski, Marzena Abrahamik, Arkadiusz Gola, Tomasz Liboska, Krzysztof Szewczyk, Wojciech Wilczyk; editing: Ewelina Lasota, Michał Łuczak; design: Joanna Jopkiewicz (Grupa Projektor), publisher: City Museum of Tychy
For a great collective publication. It is an incredible project that gives new life to many interesting photos. In a fun way, the publication tells us about a historical phenomenon and shows us series of photos that would otherwise be inaccessible to the broad audience. Plus, it tells us a bit about a fragment of Poland. We’d love to see more such works, about other photography clubs and groups, too.
- Sztos, Krzysztof Pijarski, editing: Krzysztof Pijarski, design: Błażej Pindor, publisher: Filmschool Publishing House
For finding a new method of storytelling, which is using images to talk about other images of culture. It is not only work with archives, but also an interesting game full of mysteries, with a legacy and biography. Who would have thought that a medieval sculptor could be so engaging and intriguing in the modern times?
- Internal Landscapes, Marta Zgierska & Mateusz Sarełło, design: Aneta Kowalczyk, Marta Zgierska; selfpublishing
For a one-of-a-kind idea to combine personal experience with elements of performance and photography. For successfully going beyond merely “project work” or “yet another commission”. For telling us about the experience of the pandemic in a totally novel way [The book was admitted by the FPR24 jury based on the authors’ statement concerning the fact that the date of publication was imposed by formal considerations]
- Rzeczy osobiste 1. Ojciec, Tomek Tyndyk, design: Ania Nałęcka-Milach, publisher: Archiwum Słońca (OPT Zamek)
For a brave personal work and, more importantly, for engrossing the viewer in it, and thus making it more universal. It is a very unpretentious, ambiguous, enigmatic, demanding and challenging book, which, after you give it due attention, stays with you for a long time.
- The Need to Know, Michael S. Honegger, design: Aneta Kowalczyk, publisher: BLOW UP PRESS
For the authors’ work with archive material and the resulting brilliant book, both in terms of design and content. For creating a suspenseful spy story taking place in an excellent setting, with lots of evidence and clues.
- Eternal U, Hubert Humka, editing: Grzegorz Kosmala, design: Aneta Kowalczyk, publisher: BLOW UP PRESS
For masterfully combining project work with photography and creating a vivid and coherent whole, so lyrical, and yet documentary.
- Dark by day Dark by night, Michał Adamski, design: Andrzej Dobosz, publisher: Fundacja Pix.House
For a compelling depiction of current events and for choosing to tell us this story in just the right way – in this seemingly unassuming publication, in which meanings change thanks to how the book is edited. Here, editing becomes a medium in itself, a separate entity.
- Abzgram, Karolina Wojtas, editing: Kathrin Schönegg, C/O Berlin Foundation, design: Karolina Wojtas/Naroska Design, publisher: Spector Books
For finding an uncompromising and novel way of describing universal experience. For taking the rebellious and anarchistic perspective, while also being able to control the mess. For perfectly choosing how to do it all and for taking it out on a schoolbook.
- Family Album, Mike Bona, design: Mike Bona & Hubert Pelc, selfpublishing
For a successful experiment and a great story. For finding your own path and perspective for the now popular subject of a family story. For creating an extremely captivating story in a very inconspicuous form.
- Alltagsfantasie, Joanna Szproch, editing: Joanna Szproch, design: Nora Cristea, publisher: André Frère Éditions
For the visual magnificence! For finding a way present the subject in just the right way, but a bold one, too. For the panache and splendour – both when it comes to photographs and to the book design.
- Pogorzelisko, Alicja Karska, Aleksandra Went, design: Anna Witkowska, selfpublishing
For an incredible idea and finding an interesting way to show it. Here, you find yourself in a visual story, but also inside an art experiment of a kind, an almost surreal experience of a meta-book.
On show:
Litwa. Dwa stulecia fotografii / Lithuania. Two Centuries of Photography, praca zbiorowa/joint publication, red./ed. Paulina Orłowska-Bańdo, projekt/design: Kuba Sowiński, wyd./pub. Międzynarodowe Centrum Kultury w Krakowie
Devil’s Rib, Mateusz Kowalik, Mateusz Kowalik, projekt/ design: Natalia Mikołajczuk, wyd./pub. Editorial RM, Ediciones Posibles, Phree
Warm Mother Cold Mother, Anna Orłowska, red./ed. Stefan Lorenzutti, projekt/design: Kaja Gliwa, wyd./pub. Bored Wolves
Plan, Ewa Pajewska-Wawrzyniak, projekt/ design: Ewa Pajewska-Wawrzyniak, selfpublishing
Bebok — Kolekcja Wrzesińska 2022, Karolina Jonderko, projekt/design: Natalia Szczęch, wyd./pub. Urząd Miasta i Gminy Września
Sztuka poza sztuką? Fotografia dokumentalna w Polsce, Adrian Wykrota, red./ed. Iwona Torbicka, projekt/ design: Andrzej Dobosz, wyd./pub. Fundacja Pix.House
Stray dogs, Krzysiek Orłowski, redakcja i projekt/editing and design: Krzysiek Orłowski, wyd./pub. Zinteka
Hands & Feet of Friends & Family, Helen Korpak, red./ed. Stefan Lorenzutti, projekt/design: Samuli Saarinen, wyd./pub. Bored Wolves
Domowe Pozycje Baletowe, Magdalena Skotnicka, projekt/design: Franciszek Ammer, Dominika Sadowska, Magdalena Skotnicka, wyd./pub.19 Rivers
Organizatorzy/ Organisers: Fotofestiwal, Służewski Dom Kultury, Bookoff
Partnerzy/ Partners: 19 Rivers, Miejsce Fotografii, Fotopolis
The award-winning publications are waiting for you at the festival center alongside the other book exhibitions. This year it’s exhibitions on the Belarusian scene, the Ukrainian scene and five Latin American countries, as well as the Kassel Dummy Award. More about the exhibitions: https://fotofestiwal.com/2024/program-2024/#wystawy, look for photography books in the events section as well (a couple of premieres here this year!).
The Fotofestival is thus declared open!
