Anna Orłowska
Elena in Johanna's Wedding Dress
FSP ING 0273
This photograph is part of a series in which the artist draws from a familial reservoir of history and memories, deeply rooted in the turbulent fate of the region. The image was taken in the village of Żędowice, before 1945 known as Sandowitz, belonging to the territory of former Prussia.
The picturesque house, linked to a mill, came into the possession of Orłowska's great-grandfather. The titular Elena, the artist's niece, poses in the wedding dress of her great-grandmother, Johanna. The girl sits by a pond created by the construction of water dams, which served as a playground for several generations, including Anna herself. Elena's photograph weaves together the destinies of many generations of the Orłowska family. The magical character of the place, encircled by forests and a river, along with the artistic narrative, evokes a dreamlike, fantastical vision. To give the depiction a contemporary twist, Orłowska chose to reference the style of fashion magazines.
This work was first presented at the “Sankt Anna” exhibition at the Gunia Nowik Gallery in Warsaw (2022). The artworks showcased there narrated the story of the region, providing a backdrop for the micro-histories of families and the individual fates of those who lived through times of distress and upheaval.
Anna Orłowska
b. 1986, Opole
Photographer and visual artist, author of photobooks. She studied photography at the National Film School in Łódź and at the Institute of Creative Photography in Opava. In her early photographic series, she staged situations, applied scenographic solutions, and created narrative suggestions by focusing on characters and experimenting with lighting. In more recent series, she plays with conventions, also utilizing the documentary form. She primarily photographs architecture and interiors, telling stories about what is invisible, silenced, or forgotten.She often explores themes of knowledge, memory, and the human tendency to distort history, creating idealized and romanticized visions. The artist continually experiments with the medium of photography, using it to create collages and objects as well. She lives and works in Warsaw.
b. 1986, Opole
Photographer and visual artist, author of photobooks. She studied photography at the National Film School in Łódź and at the Institute of Creative Photography in Opava. In her early photographic series, she staged situations, applied scenographic solutions, and created narrative suggestions by focusing on characters and experimenting with lighting. In more recent series, she plays with conventions, also utilizing the documentary form. She primarily photographs architecture and interiors, telling stories about what is invisible, silenced, or forgotten.
She often explores themes of knowledge, memory, and the human tendency to distort history, creating idealized and romanticized visions. The artist continually experiments with the medium of photography, using it to create collages and objects as well. She lives and works in Warsaw.