Artist
Grzegorz Wełnicki
Grzegorz Wełnicki (b.1986) photographer and visual artist. Human in an existential context is the main subject of his works and activities. Master degree with distinction in Photography, Leon Schiller National Film School in Lodz, Poland. His works were exhibited in: Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Poland, 2021; Labirynt Gallery, 2021, Warsaw, Poland (PL), Verzasca Foto Festival, 2020, Switzerland, Fondo Internazionale per la Fotografia Festival, 2015, Italy and published in: British Journal of Photography, Frieze Magazine, Life Framer, Magazyn Szum, DOC! Photo Magazine, GUP Magazine, Internazionale Magazine, Gazeta Wyborcza, Vogue Polska.
No’am
”No’am” is a project focusing on the human being in the context of his passing-fear of death and the search for salvation in transhumanism. The paintings become a testimony to the diverse experiences of human existence. By combining minimalism, abstraction and hyperrealism, a composition is created that shows both the concreteness and metaphysical essence of the individuals portrayed. Searching for universal elements of existence, the project aims to evoke a multifaceted reflection in which the viewer can find his own experiences and reflect on the meaning of existence.
Mykhaylo Palinchak has dedicated himself to documenting the daily lives of the Ukrainian people since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In his two photo series’ Sirens’ whisper and Highlight, Mykhaylo documents places of Russian war crimes all over Ukraine, destroyed civilian objects and houses, but also the extraordinary courage and solidarity of Ukrainian society. Both series demonstrate this documentary photographer’s unique style, extraordinary sensitivity to detail and excellent editing skills.
Maria Gutu drew our attention with the classical form of her photography. Maria photographs young people, often at the moment of transition from childhood to adolescence. Each of the gazes Gutu photographs is authentic, not only because she approaches her characters with great visual sensitivity, but also because she looks at them with understanding.
Childhood is also one of the key subjects of Michalina Kacperak's project. Soft Spot is the artist's personal story about her own family experience of alcoholism. Michalina is the eldest of four sisters – the offspring of an alcoholic father who is currently on the path to sobriety. “Among us, only Zosia clings to her childhood,” Kacperak says, and as a result, it was Zosia who became the inspiration for the project.
In nominating Grzegorz Wełnicki for FUTURES Talent, we wanted, above all, to recognise his consistent, long-term work on his project No'am. Since the beginning of his creative path, Wełnicki has been interested in themes of transience, corporeality and spirituality. In the project No’am he approached the theme of transhumanism in a multithreaded story about death.
Karolina Gembara is a photographer, researcher and activist who uses photography both as a tool and a pretext for collaboration, often involving people with a migratory experience. Gembara uniquely manages to combine extraordinary empathy and sensitivity with an excellent academic background and this makes her one of the most interesting artists in the Polish visual arts landscape.