Space, body and events are the key elements of artistic activities in contemporary photography. “Space” has a very broad meaning – it can be viewed either as a physical or mental category. “Body” can refer either to a living being or to the body of the picture. “Event”, in modern reality dominated by media activities and spectacles, has become an object of analysis for both artists and philosophers.
The group exhibition of members of Polish Art Photographers Association adopts a broad understanding of the concepts listed in in its title. Therefore, we can approach the presented works not only as examples of “plain” figuration (“human figure”, “architecture”, etc.) but also as invitations to reflect on specific problems of photography. The works chosen for the exhibition represent different techniques: from traditional photochemical photography to digital photography (in classical as well as experimental approaches). “Space”, “body” and “events” not only determine the thematic scope of the exhibition but also, or even primarily, draw our attention to the process of meaning construction and the technical means for representing the world in photography. Instead of giving us ready-made suggestions, the presented photographs stimulate us into thinking of our own answers to what photography is in today’s world.
The space of documentation – the space of the photograph
Photography does not only represent real spaces (city, landscape or interior, etc.) – it also creates its own space. Apart from documenting external spaces, it can also interact with them, as if, building bridges between the real-world “external” spaces and the “internal” space of the photograph. It is extremely intriguing to figure out how the artist actually builds the space of the photograph, what tools he/she uses for this task and whether in the end he/she creates truthful illusion of space or rather unmasks its artificiality.
Human body and the body of the photograph
Our interest is not only in the body as “human body” but, more importantly, a physical tool through which our immediate experience of reality is taking place. Can we get in contact with reality thanks to photography, can we approach it via the picture plane? We are interested not only in uncovering the issues of human body and human existence in photography but also in exposing to the viewer the very “body” of the photograph. Pictures acquire their “bodies” through physical and chemical reactions, as in photochemical photography, or through digital image processing. The body of the photograph becomes physical as photosensitive emulsion undergoes a series of chemical treatments and reveals the recorded image; it is also obtained in ephemeral virtual reality. Both techniques allow us to understand photography as a “trace” or an “imprint” on, be it material or virtual.
External events – internal events
Vision needs distance – only by viewing objects at a distance can a photographer observe and record events. But is the photographer only a dissociated observer who registers events as they go by, or is he/she an involved participant, whose presence makes a difference? The surrounding reality is rich in events that can immediately become subjects of reportage photography, we can also create and record events in “staged” photography. But we can also adopt a totally opposite perspective and let the event happen “in” – in the photographer, or in ourselves. Each act of photographing or watching photographs will then become a unique, unrepeatable event in its own right.