Michal Iwanowski
Polish photographer (born 1977)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michal Iwanowski (born 1977) is a Polish photographer and writer currently living in Cardiff, Wales.[1]
Michal Iwanowski | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 20 January 1977 (age 49) Świebodzice |
| Known for | Photography |
| Website | michaliwanowski |
Life and work
Iwanowski studied a MFA in Documentary Photography, University of Wales, Newport 2008.[2]
Go home Polish
In April 2018, Iwanowski travelled on foot 1,900 km (1,200 mi) from Wales to Poland triggered by the message "Go home Polish" written on a wall in the Welsh capital that he saw in 2008.[3] The journey took 105 days to complete as Iwanowski travelled through England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and the Czech Republic asking people he met about the concept of home.[4][5] Iwanowski says “The only way for me to find out where home was for me was to walk from my home in Cardiff where I have lived for 17 years, to the home of my birth in Poland, and to ask people along the way: ‘Where is it? Where is home? What does it mean if I tell you to go home?’” [6][7][8]
Clear of People
In 2013 Iwanowski walked 2,200 km (1,400 mi) to trace his grandfather's escape from a Russian gulag.[9] In 1945 Anatol and Wiktor Iwanowski escaped from a prisoner war camp in Kaluga, Russia, and walked over 2,200 km (1,400 mi) to make it back to Poland.[10] As fugitives, they walked only when it was dark and lived on what they could find along the journey. When they reached Wroclaw 90 days later, they were reunited with their families.[11] Iwanowski used a rough map found in his great uncle's diary, and went back to document the route through Russia, Belarus, Lithuania and Poland. His work was compiled in a new book, "Clear of People".[12][13][14]
Publications
- Clear of People. Berlin. Brave Books. 2017. ISBN 978-3-00-053351-8. Edition of 700 copies.[15][16]
Collections
- 2017: National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth
- 2018: Museum Of Contemporary Art, Zagreb, Croatia
- 2020: National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, Wales
- 2020: Col·lecció d’Art Banc Sabadell, Spain
Selected Awards
- 2008: Finalist in British Journal of Photography Project Assistance Award
- 2009: Winner of Emerging Photographers 2009 by Magenta Foundation[17]
- 2009: Honourable Mention at Px3 Prix De Photographie, Paris.[18]
- 2016: Top 10 Books of 2016 for 'Post-war stories' at The New York Art Book Fair.[19]
- 2017: Shortlisted for Die Schonsten Deutschen Bocher - The Best German Book Design 2017 for 'Clear of People.'
- 2018: Longlisted for Deutsche Borse Photography Prize 2018 for the book 'Clear of People.[20]
- 2020: Longlisted for Deutsche Borse Photography Prize 2020 for 'Go Home Polish' exhibition at Peckham24, London.