Revisiting. From Paweł Pierściński’s Archive
Paweł Pierściński’s photographs tell the story of a spruce forest, a patch of grass, an old riverbed of the Vistula, and the forgotten ruins of a castle. They depict landscapes that seem strangely familiar to all of us.
The album presents previously unseen photographs by an outstanding photographer, a co-founder of the photographic movement known as the Kielce School of Landscape. Their subject is a primarily the scenery of the Świętokrzyskie region: forests, fields, meadows, and the towns sprouting up among them. Pierściński wanders off the beaten path, to places that are less accessible, hidden, and forgotten. He observes them closely. Revisits. Captures details and transformations.
Through the eyes of the artist, landscape – a classic genre – acquires documentary qualities and social depth. It takes on themes of fate of small towns, industrialization and its consequences, and landscape transformations. This is a particulary important voice in discussions about the problems of the contemporary world, in which we reflect on the coexistence of the human needs and nature, the preservation of local indentities, and enviromental protection.
This publication is a result of many years of work on the artist’s archive. The photographs are accompanied by texts by Filip Springer, Agnieszka Kowalska, and Adam Robiński, as well as by the publication’s curators – Katarzyna Sagatowska and Monika Szewczyk-Wittek.
Cities, towns, villages, forests, meadows, roads and paths. Monumental architecture, often ruins. Sometimes a crowded outdoor event, a library, or a car showroom building. Sometimes, a deep shadow of a forest. Frequently, wasteland thickets, primeval forest, impenetrable woods. Potrayed over and over, from up close and afar, Polish landscape is depicted in a meticulously composed photographs. Revisiting Paweł Pierściński’s archive is always a powerful experience.
– excerpt; from essay by Katarzyna Sagatowska and Monika Szewczyk-Wittek
Colophon
Revisiting. From Paweł Pierściński’s Archive
Concept and photo selection: Katarzyna Sagatowska, Monika Szewczyk-Wittek
Book design: Anna Nałęcka-Milach
Publisher: National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning
ISBN: 978-83-972374-3-8
Price: 129 zł
Publication co-financed by the Minister for Culture and National Heritage