Jakub Stanek: In Anticipation of the Sun
Opening : Thursday, 6 April at 7 p.m.
6.4. – 10. 5. 2023
The series In Anticipation of the Sun (2017) emerged from a discussion with the artist’s 3-year-old son when he had to explain to him why they had not left the flat for six days when the air quality alert level in Warsaw was raised to the highest level of “red” in early 2017. At the same time, air quality in the city of Rybnik in Poland was worse than in China. The explanation he gave his son took the form of a drawing in black pencil showing smog. This prompted him to do more research on what smog is so that he could explain to his son the consequences it inflicts on the environment and with it the fact that we are the main cause for pollution. The exhibited series therefore explores the imperceptible yet serious threat of air pollution through symbolic imagery. The objects depicted recapitulate in material form Stanek’s investigation of air pollution and its less visible effects and consequences.
Jakub Stanek (1988, Poland) studied photography at the Academy of Photography in Warsaw and philosophy at the University of Warsaw. He is a graduate of the Sputnik Mentoring Program organized by Photos collective. Stanek worked in Milan on documentary and commercial projects for several years. He was selected one of the 50 best young Polish photographers in “Debuts 2015”. In his work, he explores untold subjects and brings new perspectives to the audience. In documentary photography, he strives to engage in intimate dialogue with his protagonists. The principal focus of his work is the modern human and his experience.