Photo: WOJTEK MAŚLANKA/NOWY DZIENNIK
Works by 103-year-old Fryderyk Dammont and by Ryszard Horowitz have been on view since Wednesday at the “Salon 2026” exhibition at the Consulate General of Poland in New York. The exhibition marks the 28th anniversary of the Polish-American Photographers Club.
“The 12th photography salon continues our club’s tradition,” club president Dariusz Kanarek told the Polish Press Agency (PAP). He added that the salon used to be held every three to four years, but is now organized every two years.
The club was founded in 1998 at the New York consulate. According to co-founder Wojciech Kubik, it all began with a showing of works by a group of Polish photographers that drew so many viewers that someone proposed starting an organization.
“We’ve been active for almost 30 years without financial support. We fund ourselves. With today’s high prices, a little help would be welcome,” Kubik told PAP. He spoke warmly of Zofia Żelewska-Bobrowska, who supports the club tirelessly and constantly.
Among those showing works is 103-year-old Fryderyk Dammont, the club’s oldest member and the author of the exhibition’s name.
“A gallery is when everything hangs in a single row, and a salon is when you hang photographs wherever you can,” he explained.
The dean of New York’s photographers has taken part in all of the organization’s activities from the start. He has also developed his own theory of photography.
“Concentrate on no more than one central subject. Other elements serve only as a frame, so they don’t draw attention away,” he explained. This year he is showing, among other works, photographs from the American West, including 12th-century Native American cave dwellings.
Kanarek calls Dammont “the youngest in spirit of all of us.” The youngest member by age is Julia Wójcik, who is continuing a family tradition.
The exhibition brings together about 130 works by several dozen authors. For several years, the club has also presented works by guests from Poland. This time they include Tomasz Sikora, actress and director Małgorzata Potocka, and Krzysztof Opaliński, among others.
“Our photographers draw inspiration from the guests’ works. We see increasingly creative results. I prefer to call club members enthusiasts rather than amateurs,” the president noted. The club also includes renowned artists, among them Eva Rubinstein and honorary president Ryszard Horowitz, who attended the ceremony.
The president named as the club’s most important exhibition event so far its participation in last year’s “Ambassadors of Polish Photography” exhibition in Mumbai, organized by Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the club and the Association of Polish Art Photographers. It showed 177 works by 42 artists, half of them from New York and half from Poland. An exhibition titled “New York Through the Eyes of Polish Photographers” is planned for Warsaw in September of next year.
The event was summed up by Mateusz Sakowicz, Poland’s consul general in New York.
“These photographs show various aspects of life, from architecture to landscapes and portraits, revealing the artists’ inspirations. They are moments captured in a split second, with an interesting story in the background. Very thought-provoking,” the consul told PAP.
From New York, Andrzej Dobrowolski (PAP)
Source: Nowy Dziennik
