© Grzegorz Żukowski, 2022

On October, 22nd 2020 the decision of the constitutional court in Poland to further restrict and practically ban abortion sparked nationwide protests continuing women's strike protests from previous years. Here's some photographs from the demonstrations that took place in Warsaw. More photos and from recent protests can be seen on my flickr page.
You can also see and buy some of the photos from these protests as NFTs in my collection on opensea.io.

In recent years in Poland thousands of people protested against the governments actions and policies threatening most basic values of rule of law and human rights, such us: independent judiciary, freedom of assembly, sexual and reproductive rights, freedom from discrimination, right to a clean environment. Here are some photographs from the various demonstrations that took place in Warsaw.
You can also see and buy some of the photos from these protests as NFTs in my collection on opensea.io.

People, candid and posed.

Some street photographs, where color plays its role.

When doing photographs and being aware that the perceived color triggered me to do it, I have an ambiguous feeling of not being sure what I'm seeing actually and presenting on the photograph. One reason might be because often what I see, when editing the photo afterwards, is not what I remember I have seen, what the color was like, when I was clicking the shutter of the camera.

What it might mean? Knowing that our sight, seeing is a constant process in our mind of feedback loops it is impossible for me to say what color I'm seeing. The color might be the one of the most fluid elements of our perceived reality and, while it is so important as it brings emotions and feelings and other different meanings to our conscious description of the reality, it makes me question the reality itself, it cannot be seen. 

Warsaw is the city where I mostly do my street photographs. So I chose some photographs that seem to present the streets of this city how I see them. Both in color and in black and white.

Photos chosen for the exhibition "Simplicity" 1-18 July 2016 in Warsaw, in Służewski Dom Kultury (SDK).

The idea “simplicty” came to my mind when I was thinking about urban life and my street photography.

On the one hand you can say that urban life is spontaneous, random and chaotic. Looking on the city, as a whole, we reflect how many things are happening in it accidentally, how many human interactions are dependent on blind faith, that everything cannot be planned.

Similarly the photographer, when doing streetphotography, relies on intuition and on catching changeable, decisive moments, getting only few from the whole panorama of accidents and frames.

On the other hand human, when creating the urban space, is drawn by the need of order, convenience, simplicity. We want to plan in such a way that things and space will be functional and aesthetic. As well the street photographer in the frames arranges the space, catching elements, which are making a coherent composition.

Despite that we act intuitively, spontaneously in the end we create some order. So when saying “simplicity” I wonder on this contrast – between something accidental, free, intuitive, spontaneous and the need of simplicity, order, peace and convenience.

Photos were made in different European cities. But the context of a place is not relevant for me, instead important is their simple composition and the subject – city and people.

You can also see and buy these photographs as NFTs in my collection on opensea.io