Fashion and Street Photographer
He makes his living doing commercial photography: portrait sessions, street fashion projects for colour magazines - four times a year he leaves to shoot global fashion weeks. Thus, on his blog ordinary photos are mixed with pictures of celebrities from all around the world.
Working on the Intersections
photo: Kuba Dąbrowski, courtesy of artist
Kuba Dąbrowski seems not to have lost any of his youthful style and approach to photography. Joanna Kinowska, curator of his first retrospective exhibition (open form February 1st to March 16 2014 at Zachęta National Gallery of Art) says:
He is one of the most recognizable photographers in Poland, and he is still considered as a representative of the young generation.
His ‘youthfulness’ does not come from his age but from his way of seeing the world and his attitude towards his own career. For example, for his exhibitions in Zachęta he came up with a handful of surprises and unexpected events which broke the aura of seriousness.
Yet, he does not consider himself an artist but he says that his photos, while hung on the galleries’ walls, look and impact the viewer in a totally new way. Similarly, he seems not to distinguish between his commercial and artistic works, ipso facto practicing ‘total photography’, where every photo is a product of photographer’s will to take it. This alone is enough for the work to be interesting, whether this will comes from an emotional high or a commercial order.
'Non Koneksja' a hip-hop squad from Białystok , photo: Kuba Dąbrowski / courtesy of author
Dąbrowski finds that documenting the surrounding world is the essence of being a photographer:
It appears to me that whether I take a photo of my girlfriend, of celebrities or when I shoot a fashion show I do exactly the same thing – he says for Posi+tive Magazine. Everytime I snap a photo I believe I make a gift for those who will live in 50 or 60 years.
Trivia
For a few years, Kuba was a Przekrój columnist writing every weekl iconic or outstanding pictures and photographers.
http://kubadabrowski.blogspot.com
http://accidentswillhappen.blogspot.com (his early blog from 2005-2009)
www.kubadabrowski.com
Author: Anna Cymer, January 2014
Translated by: WO, January 2014