Kungsleden photo exhibition.

Kungsleden photo exhibition.

In 2021 I was invited to participate in a photography event called „Light.sensitives” organised by the Department of Landscape and Cultural Heritage at John Paul II University in Kraków. The focus of the event, which brought together several writers and artists, was to showcase different visual forms of storytelling and to answer the question of what it is like to look at the world through the lens of a camera or camcorder. 

“It is a real art to be able to perceive what escapes the attention of most people. Sometimes it is emotions, feelings, sometimes it is a ray of sunlight touching the leaves, sometimes it is a random arrangement of colours, sometimes it is a plant growing against logic on a pavement. It varies… But the essence is always that the framed reality has to tell a story.”

(university’s website event description)

My story and photo exhibition was about one of the most beautiful trekking routes in the world, the Kungsleden, which I visited 4 times. I fell in love with the far north, with this trail, with the unique and beautiful landscape, with the emptiness and the power of nature, which you can feel with all your senses. The emptiness gives you a sense of freedom, but nature is a constant reminder to be careful because you are insignificant. In my photographs I wanted to show the beauty of this place, carved by nature over millions of years without human interference, and perhaps infect others with this beauty. There are few places on earth where you can stand, look to the horizon and not see the concrete monuments of civilisation. Kungsleden is one of them.

This is a selection of photographs taken over several years on the trail and presented in the exhibition. Enjoy!

Aesthetica magazine.

Aesthetica magazine.

Being published in a prestigious magazine was an important event for me as an artist and provided me with a platform to present myself to a wide audience in the industry. In 2021, Aesthetica magazine featured one of my works entitled ‘Paris, Paris’ in its 100th anniversary issue. The work featured was made using the argyrotype process on handmade paper and is framed in an oak frame burnt on the front. The base for the print was a digital photograph I took in Paris in 2019.

This particular issue also delves into various art movements, influential artists and groundbreaking works that are shaping the current art world. 

I particularly recommend this issue, which is available to download online >here< (paid) but subsequent issues are just as interesting. 

Shortly about argyrotype

Shortly about argyrotype

Everything starts and ends with paper and it’s quality. You start by coating the paper with a silver-based emulsion. The layer should be thin, but it depends on the paper how quickly it absorbs liquids. Sometimes the same brand of paper from the same manufacturer can vary from batch to batch due to differences in the pulp used to make it. Especially the handmade papers. If there are imperfections in the paper structure, chemical residues, they can now appear because of the difference in emulsion absorption. If that happens, the paper goes to waste or I develop it as an example for future reference. The emulsion takes between one and two hours to dry in a controlled humidity environment. When it is dry, it can be exposed. It’s a contact exposure, so the print is as big as a negative. Argyrotype, like cyanotype, is UV sensitive, so it is exposed under a UV lamp (UVA part of the spectrum) and takes between 4 and 16 minutes, depending on the paper and the density of the negative. Once exposed, development begins. There are three parts: a 7-10 minute rinse in distilled water to remove excess emulsion, a 2-3 minute bath in the actual developer (sodium thiosulphate) and a 20 minute bath in running water. After development, the paper must be allowed to dry completely, which takes about 24-36 hours in the press. The emulsion changes colour at each stage, from yellow before exposure, to orange and brown during development and drying, to black and white or various shades of sepia after drying. Again, the final result depends on the paper and you can check it when it is completely dry, so if there are any flaws… I start again. My record so far: 19 prints from one negative that didn’t work because of the paper, but I didn’t fail, I found 19 ways that it didn’t work 😉

Hello World!

Hello World!

Here we go!

This blog will definitely not be a diary I will instead occasionally upload texts related to my work, but also not very technical because a lot of books have already been written on this subject. Expect rather interesting facts and important news.