The latest issues of alternative techniques are focused on searching for new subjects relevant to the 21st-century situation, the development of civilization, science, and of course, art. There is no sense in returning to the themes of the 19th century. So, what does Cichoszewska propose?
Using the technique of double exposure and mastering the wet collodion process, she presents us with works that reveal an enigmatic structure not only of geometric forms that become an indistinct, eerie landscape but also bring us closer to depictions of distant planets, including the Moon, perhaps even the Sun?
The subsequent part of the series depicts a distorted/damaged landscape, which fits into the metaphor of the Anthropocene, a secular form of post-apocalypse. Though the threat of this idea cyclically appears in European culture, our time might be the ultimate one.
The attractiveness of this series lies in its ability to incorporate the tradition of geometric art, including minimalism and conceptualism. The landscape and its structures are used to create surprising visual arrangements, expanding the tradition of landscape photography. When I look at these beautiful and melancholic works, I am reminded more strongly of the conceptual photographs of Zygmunt Rytka and the "Twoone" series by Grzegorz Zygier.
I am very positively affected by these works, which, by adhering to the rules of a specific and challenging technique, show that it's possible to extend the ideological scope of wet collodion photography to include the traditions of both geometric and non-geometric abstraction, and that means a lot.
The black-and-white prints, often presented in diptychs alongside glass plate works, effectively illustrate the classic theme in a broad aesthetic-visual context: what is the Earth and its form?
The inclusion of the so-called aesthetics of error greatly enriches them. Everything indicates that the Artist has opened new and attractive visual spaces for the old technique.
And one more aspect: the Artist shapes the photographed matter as if it were a sculptural form. She creates extraordinary visual forms from it. Sometimes they seem almost corporeal, other times stony. But there is also a clear allusion to our existence as well as the boundless expanses of the universe. Cichoszewska is also open to the attempt to delve into eternal metaphysical problems.
~ PhD Krzysztof Jurecki, a critic, curator, and art historian, is an honorary member of ZPAF and AICA
Monika Cichoszewska
Monika Cichoszewska is a photographer who specializes in large-format cameras and camera obscura. She is an advocate for working in the darkroom, manual processes, and chemical techniques in photography. A particular area of interest for her is the Ambrotype technique, which she has chosen as her artistic medium. In 2017, she was selected as one of the winners in the international DEBUTS 2017 competition. In 2021, she received the main prize for "EXHIBIT YOURSELF" at the Contemporary Art Center in Toruń. Her works have been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in Poland, France, Portugal, the USA, and Spain, including the VI Piotrków Biennial of Art, XII Biennial of Mountain Photography, 7th Brzesko Festival of Pinhole Photography, where she took second place, OFFO Festival, Foto Open 2021 at FotoArtFestiwal in Bielsko Biała as a finalist, the Festival of Old Techniques at BWA Kielce, and the "Kontakty" exhibition at BWA Jelenia Góra.
Exhibition opening hours:
Monday - Friday; 12.00 PM - 6.00 PM
Saturday - Sunday; 10.00 AM - 8.00 PM