Imperatyw: Iconic and Unseen Photography of 1980s Poland from Ośrodka KARTA Archive

This exhibition showcases 30 photographs from the Ośrodek KARTA archive, capturing the social and political transformations of Poland in the 1980s. The images reflect the urgency to document reality during the last decade of the Polish People's Republic, featuring works by notable photographers.

The exhibition 'Imperatyw. Fotografie lat 80. ze zbiorów Ośrodka KARTA' presents a collection of 30 photographs that capture the essence of Poland during the 1980s, a period of significant social and political upheaval. These images, sourced from the Ośrodek KARTA archive, were created out of a necessity to document the realities of the last decade of the Polish People's Republic. The exhibition traces how societal and political changes influenced photographic practices, featuring works by artists such as Witold Górka, Tomasz Tomaszewski, Tomasz Abramowicz, and Wojciech Druszcz. Some photographs were taken in an atmosphere of relative freedom, like Witold Górka's and Zbigniew Trybek's documentation of the 1980 Gdańsk Shipyard strike. Others were captured under the more restrictive conditions following martial law, such as Tomasz Tomaszewski's street photography, taken in secret with his wife Małgorzata Niezabitowska. In contrast, Wojciech Druszcz's vibrant images from the Jarocin Festival in the late 1980s reflect the system's decline. The exhibition includes both iconic and previously unseen photographs, presenting a poignant, unvarnished image of a society determined to achieve freedom and re-establish democracy.

Admission to the exhibition is free. Visitors can also find a bilingual publication accompanying the exhibition available on the Ośrodek KARTA publishing website and at the Ośrodek KARTA headquarters in Warsaw.