Tadeusz Rolke, "Lucy. Aleje Jerozolimskie 1967", photograph source: press materials
The Mykolas Žilinskas Art Gallery, a department of the Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis National Art Museum in Kaunas, hosts a special restrospective exhibition of Tadeusz Rolke's works
Tadeusz Rolke, a legend of Polish photography, has contributed extensively to the development and promotion of the medium in Poland. His many years of work as a photographer, lecturer, extremely active participant in current artistic life, his many years of membership of the Polish Art Photographers Association and its Art Council, cooperation with periodicals and magazines in Poland and abroad make him one of the most eminent personalities of Polish photography.
This exhibition was already shown at Warsaw's Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle in May of 2009, later in Berlin as a part of the "Icons of Victory" exposition. It presents a backdrop of archive materials and a showcase of most recent works. Another highlight of the event is a projection of diapositives produced based on the remaining photographs from illustrated magazines from the '60s, like "Polska" (Poland), "Stolica" (The Capital), "Ty i ja" (You and Me) and from the times when Tadeusz Rolke documented the avant garde art scene of Poland. He had the opportunity to capture important images during the early days of the Krzywe Koło Gallery and later of the Foksal Gallery in Warsaw and the artists and critics associated with these institutions.
Tadeusz Rolke (b. 1929 in Warsaw) began working in photography during World War II. He was deported into forced labor to Germany for his participation in the Warsaw Uprising. He returned to Poland after the War. As an art student, he was jailed in 1951 for alleged participation in an "anti-government association". After the political thaw of 1953, Rolke worked for the Stolica weekly and the Polska monthly. Rolke spent 1970-1980 living in Germany and photographing for periodicals like Stern, Spiegel, and Die Zeit, gaining international acclaim for his Fischmarkt series. After returning to Warsaw in 1980, he initiated and produced group shows, including in the Stara Galeria of the Polish Art Photographers Association. In the mid-1990s, Rolke began closer cooperation with the Gazeta Wyborcza daily, where he undertakes photojournalistic reportage from Poland and abroad, including places diverse as Ukraine and Tunisia. He also began work with the prestigious German art periodical, Art. Rolke lectured at the University of Warsaw's journalism department, ran workshops for young journalists and photojournalists. He is often invited into the jury of many major Polish and international photography competitions.
Some of his more significant exhibitions include: "Żywym i umarłym" / "Dead or Alive", together with Jerzy Budziszewski, synagogue in Tykocin, 1986, Galeria BWA (Biuro Wystaw Artystycznych - Art Exhibit Office) In Białystok, 1986, Association of Polish Architects in Warsaw, 1986; "Fotografowałem lata sześćdziesiąte i nie tylko..." / "I Photographed the 60s... and Some", 1997, Centre for Contemporary Art, Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw; "Sąsiadka" / "Neighbour", jointly with Chris Niedenthal, Zachęta Gallery in Warsaw, 2001; Stiklo karoliukai Gallery in Vilnius, 2002; Before and After 1945 - Poland, 2002, Striped House Gallery in Tokyo; Baja Mare, 2002, Foksal Gallery Foundation in Warsaw; "Tu byliśmy" / "We Were Here", The Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, 2003, The National Museum in Bratislava, 2003, Est-Ouest Festival at Die in France; "Fischmarkt", Triennal of Photography in Hamburg (as a special guest), 2002; "Places", the Polish Institute in Paris, 2005; retrospective exhibit, Photo Gallery in Kaunas, 2005; "Hier waren wir", Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Gallery in Berlin, Karl Marx Haus in Trier, 2006; Anna Roza Art Gallery in Oslo.
The exhibition opens on March 10, 2011 and runs through April 17, 2011.
Curator: Marek Grygiel
The show has been organised in part by the Polish Institute in Vilnius
Patronage: Fototapeta, Epson
Source: www.csw.art.pl, www.lenkukultura.lt