Inicjowanie negocjacji tożsamościowych w projektach artystów należących do ZPAF: Andrzeja Różyckiego, Zygmunta Rytki i Stefana Wojneckiego
Initiating Identity Negotiations in Projects by ZPAF Members: Artists Andrzej Różycki, Zygmunt Rytka, Stefan Wojnecki

Author(s): Marek Janczyk
Subject(s): Photography
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Keywords: photography; society; art;politics;
Summary/Abstract: This article deals with the social and political aspects of the functioning of Związek Polskich Artystów Fotografików – the Association of Polish Art Photographers – from its establishment in 1947 to the present day. Under conditions of limited political sovereignty, many ZPAF members promoted universal values in their work, thereby participating in the process of shaping an independent, civic culture. A significant number of ZPAF members felt that an important element of modern photography as an art form was engagement in a critique of political hypocrisy and social stagnation. Projects by three outstanding photographers – Andrzej Różycki, Zygmunt Rytka, and Stefan Wojnecki – served as the basis for my analysis of the processes taking place in Polish photography from the 1960s through the 1980s. Each, in his own way, referred to universal experience and authentic history as important motifs in their work. By rejecting official formulae, these artists co-created an independent space for artistic and cultural continuity, choosing photographic experimentation and references to the nation’s communal historical consciousness. Theoretical references include the writings of Walter Benjamin, Urszula Czartoryska, Sławomir Magala, Krzysztof Jurecki, and Allan Sekula. The examined projects and primary sources bear testimony to the historical significance of photography as an art form as well as to the latent social potential of art.

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