Writer Janusz Głowacki photographed by Czesław Czapliński
The exhibition at the presents a grand-scale series of portraits of Polish artists and thinkers who have been recognised beyond the borders of their homeland. The collection presents some 100 individuals captured by Czapliński's lens - from Magdalena Abakanowicz and Wisława Szymborska to Roman Polański and Tadeusz Różewicz - at the headquarters of the European Economic and Social Committee
The main theme behind the show is to highlight those personalities whose accomplishments have enriched the cultural capital of both Poland and all of contemporary Europe. Photographer Czesław Czapliński's works are a testament to a sort of continental solidarity, bringing together all of the nation's cultural ambassadors together in celebration of their life and works. The series presents a range of creative careers and personalities - actors, architects, conductors, film directors, photographers, graphic designers, instrumentalists, composers, painters, musicians, writers, poets, poster artists, directors, sculptors, scene designers and translators.
The exhibition was originally on show in Warsaw as an outdoor exhibition along the Royal Route in Aleje Jerozolimskie, starting at the Belvedere Palace and stretching to the park's Botanical Garden. On the 1st of July 1, 2011 at 10:00 in the morning, the President of Poland Bronisław Komorowski led the official opening ceremony for the exhibition, one day before the start of the Polish Presidency of the EU Council.
The individuals in the photographs were born in Poland, yet during the harsh times of Martial Law and political strife in Poland during socialism they were forced to abandon their homeland. They sought freedom in the west, both personal and creative freedoms that would not be bound by censorship. However, they still remained Polish intellectuals and represented Poland throughout their careers.
Featured artists include: Magdalena Abakanowicz, Stanisław Barańczak, Kazimierz Brandys, Ewa Braun, Ernest Bryll, Roman Cieślewicz, Krzesimir Dębski, Tadeusz Dominik, Edward Dwurnik, Stasys Eidrigevicius, Wojciech Fangor, Jerzy Ficowski, Stefan Gierowski, Janusz Głowacki, Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, Jerzy Grotowski, Adam Hanuszkiewicz, Edward Hartwig, Julia Hartwig, Jerzy Hoffman, Agnieszka Holland, Sławomir Idziak, Krystyna Janda, Tadeusz Kantor, Ryszard Kapuściński, Jerzy Kawalerowicz, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Wojciech Kilar, Leszek Kołakowski, Tadeusz Konwicki, Hanna Krall, Ewa Kuryluk, Jan Lebenstein, Stanisław Lem, Daniel Libeskind, Tadeusz Łomnicki, Olgierd Łukasiewicz, Witold Lutosławski, Lech Majewski, Czesław Miłosz, Igor Mitoraj, Czesław Niemen, Marek Nowakowski, Jerzy Nowosielski, Rafał Olbiński, Roman Opałka, Agnieszka Osiecka, Krzysztof Penderecki, Jerzy Pilch, Roman Polański, Tadeusz Różewicz, Zbigniew Rybczyński, Wilhelm Sasnal, Andrzej Seweryn, Jerzy Skolimowski, Tomasz Stańko, Franciszek Starowieyski, Allan Starski, Henryk Stażewski, Jerzy Stuhr, Józef Szajna, Wisława Szymborska, Leon Tarasewicz, Leopold Tyrmand, Jan Twardowski, Andrzej Wajda, Małgorzata Walewska, Krzysztof Warlikowski, Józef Wilkoń, Wanda Wiłkomirska, Adam Zagajewski, Krzysztof Zanussi, Krystian Zimerman, Teresa Żylis-Gara.
The exhibition is accompanied by a DVD catalogue prepared by the Museum of the Royal Łazienki Park, with a selection of portraits from the exhibition and variations on the hymn of Europe composed by Krzesimir Dębski, as well as a previews of the film "Bitwy Warszawskiej 1920" in 3D and Czesław Czapliński's "Czarne i białe w kolorze", which demonstrates the process of photographing his subjects.
European Economic and Social Committee
99 rue Belliard, Brussels
www.eesc.europa.eu
Source: press materials