As far as a photographic aspect is concerned, Whiteslope is a formally simple project. It is rather a series of photos than a typology: beautiful men and luxuriant nature. These frames could serve as a visually-attractive advertising material for the local authorities. The human capital and the title heritage of Bialystok region are one thing, and the promotion of local patriotism, pride derived from the fact that „we’re from here” are another thing. Can we be sure, though, that these photos fit into the local context? Up to the present day, Petersen has been famous for his subversive projects. Even if it is not so obvious as in the case of Guys or Downtown, it is no exception this time either. The artist exposes a photographic film to capture portraits, landscapes, and the beauty of the motherland. Everybody would visit Whiteslope with pleasure as well as Downtown, but this land – as for now – exists only in the realm of art, in Oiko Petersen’s photos.
The artist created the Whiteslope photos at an amazing pace for someone like himself. The Artists-in-Residence Programme – first one in the history of The Ludwik Zamenhof Centre, but also the first one in Petersen’s carrier – lasted merely a month. It took the artist much more time – even as much as two years – to carry out his previous projects. Did he live up to the task despite this hectic pace? How did he spend this time and what kind of work did he manage to create? What does his exhibition mean to the local artistic scene? Can it – according to the objective of The Zamenhof Centre – initiate a dialog and allay the fear of the Other?
Oiko Petersen
(born in 1983) – a Polish photographer of the young generation. He graduated from linguistic studies at University of Warsaw and photography at University of the Arts in London. He debuted in 2007 with the exhibition entitled Guys. From Poland with love, which was presented during the Sixth Fotofestival in Lodz. Petersen was also in the group of fifteen most interesting young Polish photographers who were qualified for the PhotoPoland project organised with the help of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute. His works were displayed, i.a. in The Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw as a part of The Red-eye Effect. Polish Photography of the XXI Century exhibition and at numerous international photography festivals, i.a. in France (Transphotographique09), Finland (Backlight08) and in China (Pingyao International Photography Festival). He is a Photography lecturer at one of the schools in Warsaw.
(born in 1983) – a Polish photographer of the young generation. He graduated from linguistic studies at University of Warsaw and photography at University of the Arts in London. He debuted in 2007 with the exhibition entitled Guys. From Poland with love, which was presented during the Sixth Fotofestival in Lodz. Petersen was also in the group of fifteen most interesting young Polish photographers who were qualified for the PhotoPoland project organised with the help of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute. His works were displayed, i.a. in The Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw as a part of The Red-eye Effect. Polish Photography of the XXI Century exhibition and at numerous international photography festivals, i.a. in France (Transphotographique09), Finland (Backlight08) and in China (Pingyao International Photography Festival). He is a Photography lecturer at one of the schools in Warsaw.
Od strony fotograficznej Whiteslope to prosty formalnie projekt. Bardziej seria zdjęć, niż typologia: piękni mężczyźni i bujna przyroda. Te fotografie mogłyby posłużyć jako atrakcyjny wizualnie materiał reklamowy dla lokalnych władz. Kapitał ludzki i tytułowe dziedzictwo białostocczyzny to jedno, a drugie to promowanie patriotyzmu lokalnego, dumy z faktu, że „jesteśmy stąd”. Ale czy z pewnością zdjęcia te wpisują się w lokalny kontekst? Do tej pory Petersen słynął z projektów subwersywnych. I nawet jeśli nie jest to ewidentne jak w Guysach czy Downtown to tak chyba jest również i tym razem. Fotograf przewrotnie prześwietla fotograficzną kliszę pod tytułem portret, pejzaż, piękno ziemi ojczystej. Do Whiteslope, podobnie jak do Downtown każdy wybrałby się z przyjemnością, ale kraina ta – póki co – istnieje jedynie w sztuce, na zdjęciach Petersena.
Zdjęcia do projektu artysta przygotowywał w tempie jak na siebie zawrotnym. Pobyt twórczy – pierwszy w historii Centrum im. Ludwika Zamenhofa, ale także pierwszy w karierze artysty – trwał zaledwie miesiąc. Poprzednie projekty Petersen realizował nawet dwa lata. Czy sprostał zadaniu? Jak ten czas spędził i jakie prace był w stanie przygotować? Co jego wystawa znaczy dla lokalnej sceny artystycznej? Czy może – zgodnie z misją Centrum – inicjować dialog, osłabiać lęk przed Innym?
Oiko Petersen
(ur. 1983) polski fotograf młodego pokolenia. Ukończył studia językoznawcze na Uniwersytecie Warszawskim oraz fotografię na londyńskim University of the Arts. Debiutował w 2007 roku wystawą "Guys. From Poland with love", która została pokazana podczas Szóstego Fotofestiwalu w Łodzi. Petersen znalazł się także w gronie piętnastu najciekawszych młodych, polskich fotografów, zakwalifikowanych do projektu PhotoPoland przygotowanego wspólnie z Instytutem Mickiewicza. Jego prace pokazywane były m.in. w warszawskim CSW w ramach wystawy "Efekt czerwonych oczu. Fotografia polska XXI wieku" oraz na wielu międzynarodowych festiwalach fotograficznych, m.in. we Francji (Transphotographique09), Finlandii (Backlight08) i w Chinach (Pingyao International Photography Festival). Wykłada fotografię w jednej z warszawskich uczelni.
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Whiteslope. A beautiful heritage
Oiko Petersen
wernisaż 17.06.2011 godz. 18.00/vernissage on June 17th at 6 p.m.
kurator/curator: Adam Mazur
wystawa czynna do 28.08.2011/the exhibition will be open until August 28th, 2011
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