REW001

A view of Krywe Hulskie, a tiny village in the Bieszczady Mountains abandoned after the war, with only one house inhabited, Podkarpackie Voivodeship. The photograph is part of the „How to Rejuvenate an Eagle” project appreciated by Aperture Foundation and Paris Photo in the Photo Book of the Year 2020 competition.

“We wanted to find out what people’s lives really look like, what they believe in, what unites them. In 2017, as a writer-photographer reporting team, with my wife Dyba Lach we set out to explore and understand our country, its complexity and ambiguity. We traveled 16 000 km in three years. In our journey we were looking for an answer to a question of what shapes Polish identity today. We faced Polish stereotypes rooted in the culture and everyday life. We talked to people, asked about what being a Pole means to them, what is the meaning of community, belonging and strangeness. We have observed that reality is much more complex than TV stories, Facebook feeds and common beliefs. We have also been trying to understand the concept of border, searching for the meaning of the term and trying to find out if it even truly matters in the joined-up world of today, in a member country of the European Union. Because of Polish history, we are very familiar with this term. Borders were changed throughout the ages, the most acute changes appeared in 19th and 20th centuries, because of international agreements, wars, partitions. Today, to the borders we have already known, a new one, tangible, has been added – 1.5 meter sanitary rigor. It appeared just when our journey was coming to an end. Over the three years of our work we found out that borders are quite easy to determine, but very hard to get rid of. They last for many years, remain even after such tragic events as II World War, Holocaust, resettlement, Communism. We realised Poland is a patchwork of societies, religions, nationalities, views, a collection of tribes. For hundreds of years, Poland was an open, diverse, multi-faith country, a mixture of cultures. This has not changed.It is something we need to be reminded of. Yet it seems quite difficult with the society trapped in time.’’

Numbered and signed Limited Edition Collectors Print
Print technology: archival pigment print
Paper: Hahnemühle HEMP
Print Edition: 3+2AP
Print size: 146x110cm

We also offer all commonly used framing options in photographic art. Our contractor produce frames according to standards that are approved by galleries and collectors around the world. Please contact order@lachadam.com