The proverb says that silence is golden. When you use too many words, in the end you say nothing. Cisze [Silences] is a tribute I wanted to pay to one of the riches we possess but do not always reflect on: the mysterious charm of silence.

The title "antropografia" is a keyword both for describing the interaction between people and their environment and for the field of interest of the authors in the works presented.

Learning analogue photography can be crucial for aspiring photographers; it is a deep immersion in all the technical aspects of the photographic craft, but also an inevitable step towards revealing the potential of visual communication.

Astrida Neimanis is the author of the concept of hydrofeminism, which explores the relationships between gender, the element of water and our environment. In her flagship text "Hydrofeminism, or becoming a body of water" the researcher points to water as a building block, transmitter and archive of meanings. The human body, which in a newborn consists of as much as 80% water, thus becomes an integral part of nature and of the whole complex system of transmitting content.

The idea of the body of water introduced by Neimanis takes shape in the works of six women photographers who co-create the Hydroza* collective (Jadwiga Janowska, Jagoda Malanin, Iga Mroziak, Kasia Rysiak, Milena Soporowska and Kasia Ślesińska). Their projects explore the theme of water as a source of life, memory, violence and oppression.

Second life – is a very positive message about human life after difficult life experiences, shown through the example of dry leaves.

In autumn, during the pandemic, looking for a photographic subject in my garden, I decided to pick a few from a pile of dry leaves; creating sets for them and choosing the right lighting, I made them my models, the objects photographed. With this gesture I gave them a new meaning. By transferring them to the world of art I gave them a second life.

OLDBOYS tells of employees of Telewizja Polska (Polish Television) whose jobs, though extremely necessary in this medium, are not associated with the glitz and glamour proper to the small screen. These are the people behind the scenes, often excellent professionals in their fields. Without their hard work it would be hard to achieve the effect presented on air. Over the years they have built a reputation and developed experience that is practically irreplaceable; they have worked in their positions for many years. During that time they have witnessed repeated changes of management, changes in the aesthetics and priorities of how television functions, and thus they are simply invaluable witnesses to its transformation. Their jobs link two seemingly hard-to-reconcile worlds: the one behind the camera and the one in front of it, making them a kind of bridge between what is realistic and what is created. The OLDBOYS photographic series is a diploma project completed during studies at the Academy of Photography.

Patryk Karbowski

The protagonists of the BLIZNY [SCARS] series are some of the people in the care of the Porto Alegre association (from Rovigo) and the Di Tutti i Colori association (from Occhiobello). The artist created the series starting, in a theoretical sense, from the concept of the "scar", understood as a mark left by a physical or spiritual injury. The starting point of this story presented in the photographs is a memory evoked by the protagonists, a word that refers to their roots and marks the path laid out by that trauma.

As the photographer and artistic supervisor of the project, Patryk Karbowski, writes:

Marcin Pietrucin makes it clear that fortune is the relationship with his father. And it does not matter whether, in creating this series, he wants to regain it or, like a pre-war heir, flaunts it brazenly. He creates an alluring alternative world in which adventure and the mysteries to be discovered never end. But instead of on flat earth theory or the domination of lizards from outer space, he bases it on mutual acceptance. He tells this story in the best tradition of warm irony, which, it would seem, can no longer be counted on.

According to the artist, the material under the joint name Histerium [Hysteria], is the result of many years of reflection on the position and role of women in modern society. It was born out of the need to explore and understand the impact of personality predispositions and external factors on the functioning of today's woman.

The name of the project was borrowed from a widely known psychosomatic indisposition, commonly known as "Hysteria". The reference to this ill-fated, mist-shrouded phenomenon and humorous definitions of the disease seems to quite accurately reflect the relationship of women with the present world.

The artist duo's project is a series of portraits of ancient tombstones in the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence. The tombs, made in the 14th and 15th centuries, are part of one of the most celebrated mausoleums in Italy. They bear stone likenesses of high-ranking monks and wealthy merchants. Over time the bas-reliefs have changed their original shape. The marble has been worn away by passing feet and a beautiful waxy patina has appeared on it, closely resembling human bones. Today these heavily deformed portraits resemble unknown creatures from the future more than people.

The hand-made gelatin silver prints on baryta paper are complemented by Justyna Kosińska's embroideries, made with gold metallic thread. The portraits were made in early 2020.