Katarzyna Mirczak, photograph from the Special Characteristics 2010 series - one of the tattoos from the collection of the Collegium Medicum UJ, photo courtesy of the artist
Warsaw-based Asymetria Gallery presented major works by six of its principal photographers - Zofia Rydet, Zbigniew Dłubak, Jerzy Lewczyński, Marek Piasecki, Wojciech Plewiński and Tomek Sikora - alongside an intriguing new project from Katarzyna Mirczak, a photographer of the young generation, represented by London's Erick Franck Fine Art
117 galleries from 23 countries participated this year at the 15th edition of one of the biggest photography events in the world. In the Parisian, presenting works by some 1,000 different photographers.
As the world changes, so does photography. Paris Photo presents various aspects of these changes and all their references. Over four days meetings with artists presenting their works at the fair are held, we are also organising round table discussions with artists, curators and collectors. The main issues raised during these discussions are: geography, technology, society, media and body as the subjects of their photography.
- Chantal Pontbriand, co-organiser of Paris Photo.
At this year's fair Africa was in focus, with special attention given to photographers from all over the continent. Large-format works of five photographers: Malick Sidibe, Mikhael Subotzky, Patrick Waterhouse, Seydou Keita, James Barnor and Nontsikelelo Veleko, are exhibited on the roof of the famous Parisian train station Gare du Nord.
Poles also had a presence at Paris Photo 2011, thanks to the efforts of Warsaw's Asymetria Gallery.
Our exhibition is entitled "Photography's Handwriting: Hallucinations, Obsessions and Other Fantasies" and presents works by Zofia Rydet, Zbigniew Dłubak, Jerzy Lewczyński, Marek Piasecki, Wojciech Plewiński and Tomek Sikora.
- Rafał Lewandowski, Asymetria Gallery
Young photographer Katarzyna Mirczak presented project entitled "The Special Charcteristics". This series of photographs document a collection of tattoos collected over the years by the Department of Forensic Medicine of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. The collection consists of sixty fragments of skin taken from the bodies of deceased criminals from the local prison and preserved in formaldehyde in accordance with a method devised by one of the experts employed at the Department at the turn of the 20th century. The oldest tattoo comes from 1872. The majority of the prison tattoos represent connections between the convicts. Besides gestures and mimics it is a kind of a secret code - the project has often been referred to as "The Criminal Code", gaining attention from art and news outlets worldwide, including Esquire Magazine and The New Yorker.
The series was also presented at the event last year. Financial Times reviewer Francis Hodgson remarked that:
(...) my private award for the most eccentric discovery on show goes to another UK gallerist, Eric Franck. He is showing a startling group of colour pictures by Katarzyna Mirczak of a collection of turn-of-the-20th-century tattoos, preserved in embalming fluid on their original skin by the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. The tattoos originally belonged to prisoners, and they show a range of lewdnesses. But they also include a delightful naïve sketch of a naked flapper, identified only by one of those head-tight hats, as well as a mysterious man on a bicycle. This is a series that cries out for a collector.
The collection was created with an intention of deciphering the code - among prisoners known as 'pattern language'. By looking closely at the prisoners' tattoos one could determine their traits, temper, past, place of residence or the criminal group in which they were involved.
Conditions in prisons allowed only for primitive tools and dangerous chemicals to be used in tattooing. Paper clips, pins, wires, razor blades and pieces of glass were used to puncture the skin and powdered coal, charcoal, burned rubber, cork, pencil refills, ink, watercolours and crayons were used as colour pigments, often mixed with water, urine, soap, cream or fat.
Katarzyna Mirczak (b.1980, Walbrzych, Poland). A graduate of the Institute of Archaeology of the Jagiellonian University (Krakow) specializing in Egypt and the Middle East. She was the official photographer of an international archaeological expedition to the Black Sea region, "Pontica - Koshary" organised by the Classical Archaeology Unit of the Jagiellonian University and the Archaeological Museum of Odessa. After a year’s work at the Institute of Archaeology she left to pursue her passion for photography. In 2007 she began her professional photographic career working as a freelancer for newspapers. The same year she won 2nd Prize in the Newsreportaż 2007 competition (Newsweek Poland) and 3rd Prize in the 'Native Photography' competition organized by Rzeczpospolita, Olympus Poland and the National Museum in Warsaw. In 2008 she joined the Visavis.pl Photographers' Collective - a venture gathering Polish documentary photographers. In 2009 she became Head of International Affiliates cooperating with such photo agencies as Laif or Gamma-Rapho. In 2010 she won 1st Prize of the Grand Press Photo competition in the Sport category. In photography she is primarily interested in the relation between people and their living space. Using her photos as essays she tries to interpret social trends, and create dialogue about ideas and issues which demand public awareness.
The 2011 Paris Photo fair was held from the 9-13th of November 2011.
Grand Palais
Avenue Winston-Churchill
75008 Paris
Source: PAP, press information