Upper Silesia is the largest industrial region in Poland. After World War II, during the communist era, the region turned into a local El Dorado – a land of mineral riches. Tens of thousands of people were hoping for work and better lives here. Alas, the socialist economy turned out to be a hidden time bomb for the region. When communism collapsed and Poland become a free market economy, it was Upper Silesia that suffered the harshest consequences. Many coal mines and steel plants were shut down, and people faced unemployment and lack of prospects. The smoking chimneys quickly disappeared from the horizon, and with them, many residents. Today, the region still exists as the industrial hub of our country yet it is also intensely searching for a new identity. Dynamic socioeconomic changes are giving Upper Silesia a new character. And yet not everybody benefits equally from these changes. If you turn around for a moment, you can still see the past prowling right behind you.
Tomasz Liboska
Photographer
Tomasz Liboska lives in Chorzow in Upper-Silesia, Poland. He graduated from Anthropology of Culture at Silesian University in Cieszyn, Poland, and Institute for Creative Photography in Opava, Czech Republic. He’s been working on his projects on Silesia for over 10 years. In his works he tries to find how people exist in society. That is why anthropological background is a clue for him. In his personal work the visual language is based on his own memories and experiences. Most important exhibitions were presented during Photomonth in Krakow, Hereford Photography Festival, New York Photo Festival, Athens Photo Festival, Belfast Photo Festival. His photographs were published in The New York Magazine, GEO, Newsweek, LaRepublica, Polityka, Duży Format, VICE, Feature Shoot, LensCulture, among others. He is a winner and finalist of many internationally recognized awards and grants such as LensCulture Visual Storytelling Awards, Leica Oscar Barnack Award, Photo District News, Photo Annual, Photolucida Critical Mass, among others.
Tomasz Liboska
Photographer
Tomasz Liboska lives in Chorzow in Upper-Silesia, Poland. He graduated from Anthropology of Culture at Silesian University in Cieszyn, Poland, and Institute for Creative Photography in Opava, Czech Republic. He’s been working on his projects on Silesia for over 10 years. In his works he tries to find how people exist in society. That is why anthropological background is a clue for him. In his personal work the visual language is based on his own memories and experiences. Most important exhibitions were presented during Photomonth in Krakow, Hereford Photography Festival, New York Photo Festival, Athens Photo Festival, Belfast Photo Festival. His photographs were published in The New York Magazine, GEO, Newsweek, LaRepublica, Polityka, Duży Format, VICE, Feature Shoot, LensCulture, among others. He is a winner and finalist of many internationally recognized awards and grants such as LensCulture Visual Storytelling Awards, Leica Oscar Barnack Award, Photo District News, Photo Annual, Photolucida Critical Mass, among others.
•
Upper Silesia is the largest industrial region in Poland. After World War II, during the communist era, the region turned into a local El Dorado – a land of mineral riches. Tens of thousands of people were hoping for work and better lives here. Alas, the socialist economy turned out to be a hidden time bomb for the region. When communism collapsed and Poland become a free market economy, it was Upper Silesia that suffered the harshest consequences. Many coal mines and steel plants were shut down, and people faced unemployment and lack of prospects. The smoking chimneys quickly disappeared from the horizon, and with them, many residents. Today, the region still exists as the industrial hub of our country yet it is also intensely searching for a new identity. Dynamic socioeconomic changes are giving Upper Silesia a new character. And yet not everybody benefits equally from these changes. If you turn around for a moment, you can still see the past prowling right behind you.
-
Inflorescence / Ximena Garrido-LeccaPortikus / Nov 12, 2022 – Feb 12, 2023The Peruvian artist Ximena Garrido-Lecca is often known for her commitment to Peru’s history and its ancient mythology, other than for her study of the relationships between urban and rural areas and globalization. These elements can be found in Inflorescence, her latest work (more…)
-
Sacha TurchiArtistSacha Turchi currently lives and works in Italy and collaborates with various visual and sound artists. The interactions between individual and nature, body and psyche, constitutes the essential matrix of her research. (more…)
-
Doug Aitkenartist / filmmakerDoug Aitken is an American artist and filmmaker. Defying definitions of genre, he explores every medium, from film and installations to architectural interventions. (more…)
-
Fetishizing the FutureDec 16, 2022 – Apr 4, 2023The transdisciplinary exhibition Fetishizing the Future. Utopias of the third dimension at the Zeppelin Museum discusses visions and ideas from the last 120 years for overcoming gravity in a variety of ways and for optimizing the necessary technologies. (more…)
-
Jalan & Jibril DurimelPhotographersTwin brothers Jalan & Jibril Durimel draw inspiration through their diversified upbringing between the French Antilles and the US. Born in Paris to parents from the island of Guadeloupe (more…)
-
Ibrahim Mahama: Garden of ScarsNov 5, 2022 – Mar 19, 2023Ibrahim Mahama created a new, space-filling installation especially for Amsterdam’s oldest building. Walk through the centuries-old church building and discover the shared history of ancient places connected by trade networks (more…)
-
The Last HumansAlienation in the AnthropoceneWe have fundamentally altered the earth’s ecosystem by disrupting the natural rhythm of our planet and in doing so have created a new chapter in the evolution of Earth and a new stage of uncertainty. (more…)
-
First Look 2023Feb 1 – Mar 31, 2023Every photograph tells a story. When part of a body of work, the photograph takes on new meaning, becoming part of a bigger and more complete narrative. A portfolio allows the photographer to explore the complexities of their subject (more…)
-
Jasper JohnsArtistJasper Johns was an artist that came onto the scene in the 1950s. Much of the work that he created led the American public away from the expressionism form, and towards an art movement or form known as the concrete. (more…)
