Adam Broomberg i Oliver Chanarin, fot. Kamil Zacharsk
The Month of Photography in Kraków has established itself as one of Europe's leading photography festivals, held in the historic city since 2002. Featuring over a hundred artists from Europe and all around the world, the festival hosts over 30 individual and collective exhibitions, along with workshops, seminars, lectures and moving picture shows
The ninth annual edition of the Photomonth Festival is aimed at innovation in the realm of photography, driven by guest curators Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin. The critical issue at the heart of the main programme is the identity of the artist, accompanied by broader reflections on the creation of fictional characters within contemporary art. With co-operation between writers and artists, profiles and works by fictional photographers will be presented during the festival. "We hope that in this way we'll be able to question the concept of the artist as a brand", the curators explain.
The main programme revolves around the exhibition in the Bunkier Sztuki Contemporary Art Gallery. Alias - An Exhibit of Imaginery Artists opens the festival, showcasing the works of prominent international artists who redefine themselves through imaginary characters with different personalities and writing styles. Sparked by the curatorial initiative, invited writers and artists have created biographies of fictitious artists and their works (full biographies of the Aliases), allowing festival participants to learn about the stories and personalities of the imaginary artists, and perhaps also enabling them to guess the true creators of the works on display. The identity of the real authors - renown writers and photographers - will remain hidden until the festival opens. Some of the featured artists who have already confirmed their presence in Kraków, include Gabriel Orozco, David Goldblatt, Alec Soth, Matthew Buckingham, Johan Grimonprez, Jeremy Deller, Marine Hugonnier, Andro Wekua, Brian O'Doherty, Simon Fujiwara, Roger Ballen and William Kentridge.
Exhibitions devoted to the works of each artist take place in various museums and galleries throughout Kraków - see programme below for details. The programme is supplemented with a screening of the auteur film Not in Order of Appearance, featuring a huge company of fictional artists that have ever appeared in fictional films, screened at the Kino 18 cinema (May 14 - June 12).
The event also presents the finale of the Sittcomm Award, an international competition considered to be the most significant in the field of photography in Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe, as well as exhibitions by young artists in the ShowOFF Section, multimedia screenings of photography organised in urban spaces under the Slide Nite logo, and numerous meetings, screenings, discussions, lectures, workshops and portfolio reviews, all of which will be familiar from previous festivals. Works of the four finalists (Marcin Bociński, Maros Krivy, Rafał Milach and Petr Willert) is exhibited at Pawilon Wyspiańskiego throughout the duration of the festival. The winner will be announced near the end of the Photomonth Festival.
The Showoff Section features 12 solo projects presented all around the centre of Kraków, aimed at young photographers. They are given an opportunity to receive a professional review by well-known Polish photographers and photographic theorists. The twelve projects were chosen from over five hundred entries. The Festival Bureau will be exhibiting the artists' portfolios.
Finally, the 6th Portfolio Review at the Manggha Centre of Japanese Art and Technology presents a one-day event aimed at both experienced photographers and those who are only starting off on their road offering them an opportunity to meet professionals, who will offer their knowledge and experience, and show participants how they might go further. Taking place May 21 from 11:00 till 17:00.
Curators Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin live and work in London. They have been working together for around a decade. Their works have been exhibited around the world at over twenty individual exhibitions and numerous collective exhibitions. They also regularly lead workshops, photography master classes and lectures on Documentary Photography at the London College of Communications (LCC) and at the School of Visual Arts in New York. They are recipients of the Vic Odden Award presented by the Royal Photographic Society; they are also members of the Board of Trustees of Photoworks and the Photographers' Gallery. They gained recognition and admiration through their innovative attitude to documentary photography, transcending the borders of the genre.
The Alias exhibition opened on May 6, ushering in the unofficial inauguration of the event. Photomonth offically kicks off May 13 and runs through June 12, 2011.
Main Programme Exhibitions:
- Alias - An Exhibit Of Imaginary Characters
Bunkier Sztuki, Opening: May 14 at 14:30
- Gerald D'Amato Photography
National Museum in Krakow, the Stanisław Wyspiański Museum, open: May 14 - June 12
- Anonymous, C 1982
National Museum in Krakow, the Stanisław Wyspiański Museum, open: May 14 - June 12
- Joe Cornell
Szara Kamienica Gallery, open: May 14 - June 12
- Dora Fobert
Stained Glass Museum, open: May 14 - June 12
- Marine Lazaree
National Museum in Krakow, the Stanisław Wyspiański Museum, open: May 14 - June 12
- Leina N.
Szara Kamienica Gallery, open: May 14 - June 12
- Neville Lister
Pauza Gallery, www.pauza.pl, open: May 14 - June 12
- Ivan P.
ZPAF i S-ka Galery, open: May 14 - June 12
- Madeleine Sante
Museum of Contemporary Art in Kraków MOCAK, open: May 20 – June 12
- James Wyatt
National Museum in Krakow, the Stanisław Wyspiański Museum, open: May 14 - June 12
Source: www.photomonth.com