We wrote about the results and awards from this review in the October issue of "Głos Bolesławca"; today, a few reflections from the opening of the exhibition at the Bolesławiec Cultural Centre, where the works of young photographers are displayed.
The BOK Exhibition Hall filled with participants and photography enthusiasts on 12 October 1996 at 11:30 a.m. The local photographers turned up almost in full, and councillors were present, including Dr. Edmund Maliński, Janina Piestrak-Babijczuk, Stanisława Andrusieczko and many other distinguished guests. The opening was conducted by Mikołaj Jankowski, president of the Bolesławiec Photographic Society, who, together with Mirosław Drews, a member of the jury, read out the minutes and began presenting the awards. Earlier, a representative of the Ministry of Culture had presented Mr Mikołaj Jankowski with the “Distinguished Cultural Activist” decoration; letters of commendation from the voivode and congratulations were also received.
When viewing the photographs displayed at the exhibition, one must appreciate the high technical standard of these works and the successful attempts to seek a new perspective on the world around us. This is particularly evident in the photograms by Piotr Kardasz (second prize), Marcin Hołda and Daniel Raczyński (honourable mention). The themes of ecology, portraiture and the nude are difficult to execute even for a professional; perhaps this is why “fashionable ready-made subjects” such as disco polo music also appeared at this exhibition, showing nothing new apart from technical correctness. The almost symbolic participation of young photographers from Bolesławiec and Lower Silesia is certainly a sad fact. The closure of photography studios in cultural centres and interest clubs in schools is not encouraging, especially since practising artistic photography requires not only talent and time from the creator, but also a considerable amount of money. Three participants in the 10th Youth Photography Review received double awards (the statutory and special awards). They were:
Magdalena Fanslau from Gdynia, Patrycja Głowala from Rybnik and the youngest of them, Tomasz Żukrowski from Bolesławiec (son of the well-known press photographer from "Łużyce", Leszek Żukrowski). I asked Magda Fanslau what had caught her attention while walking around our town. Her quick answer was: a crumbling building (at B. Prusa Street) and the attractive market square. She spoke about her fascination with photography: it all began at primary school, with her first camera, called a “Smiena”, and her first success in the National Competition for Schools of Fine Arts, where my photographs were selected for the exhibition. I am currently a student at the State Secondary School of Fine Arts in Gdynia, in the photography class, and I will soon be taking my final exams. I still do not know what I will do after school, but I do know what I will do with the cash prize (first prize – PLN 650): I will spend it on a telephoto lens. At present I use a Minolta, and I took the competition photograph at home, lighting the model (my brother and sister) with just one lamp. I processed the photographic materials in my small darkroom. I prefer black-and-white photography, although at the exhibition I liked the colour photographs depicting a sunset and floral impressions. I came to Bolesławiec with my mother and a friend. This is my greatest success! – I think it will not be my last.