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Michal Iwanowski

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Michal Iwanowski
Born20 January 1977 (1977-01-20) (age 47)
Świebodzice
NationalityPolish / British
Known forPhotography
Websitemichaliwanowski.com

Michal Iwanowski (born 1977) is a Polish photographer and writer currently living in Cardiff, Wales.[1]

Life and work

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Iwanowski studied a MFA in Documentary Photography, University of Wales, Newport 2008.[2]

Go home Polish

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In April 2018, Iwanowski travelled on foot 1,900 km (1,200 mi) from Wales to Poland triggered by the message "Go home Polish" written on a wall in the Welsh capital that he saw in 2008.[3] The journey took 105 days to complete as Iwanowski travelled through England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and the Czech Republic asking people he met about the concept of home.[4][5] Iwanowski says “The only way for me to find out where home was for me was to walk from my home in Cardiff where I have lived for 17 years, to the home of my birth in Poland, and to ask people along the way: ‘Where is it? Where is home? What does it mean if I tell you to go home?’” [6][7][8]

Clear of People

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In 2013 Iwanowski walked 2,200 km (1,400 mi) to trace his grandfather's escape from a Russian gulag.[9] In 1945 Anatol and Wiktor Iwanowski escaped from a prisoner war camp in Kaluga, Russia, and walked over 2,200 km (1,400 mi) to make it back to Poland.[10] As fugitives, they walked only when it was dark and lived on what they could find along the journey. When they reached Wroclaw 90 days later, they were reunited with their families.[11] Iwanowski used a rough map found in his great uncle's diary, and went back to document the route through Russia, Belarus, Lithuania and Poland. His work was compiled in a new book, "Clear of People".[12][13][14]

Publications

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  • Clear of People. Berlin. Brave Books. 2017. ISBN 978-3-00-053351-8. Edition of 700 copies.[15][16]

Collections

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  • 2017: National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth
  • 2018: Museum Of Contemporary Art, Zagreb, Croatia
  • 2020: National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, Wales
  • 2020: Col·lecció d’Art Banc Sabadell, Spain

Selected Awards

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  • 2008: Finalist in British Journal of Photography Project Assistance Award
  • 2009: Winner of Emerging Photographers 2009 by Magenta Foundation[17]
  • 2009: Honourable Mention at Px3 Prix De Photographie, Paris.[18]
  • 2016: Top 10 Books of 2016 for 'Post-war stories' at The New York Art Book Fair.[19]
  • 2017: Shortlisted for Die Schonsten Deutschen Bocher - The Best German Book Design 2017 for 'Clear of People.'
  • 2018: Longlisted for Deutsche Borse Photography Prize 2018 for the book 'Clear of People.[20]
  • 2020: Longlisted for Deutsche Borse Photography Prize 2020 for 'Go Home Polish' exhibition at Peckham24, London.

References

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  1. ^ "'Go home Polish' graffiti prompts photographer's 1,200-mile walk". BBC News. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  2. ^ Sienkiewicz, Krzysztof. "MICHAŁ IWANOWSKI. CLEAR OF PEOPLE". Urbanautica. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  3. ^ "Rozmowa Dnia: Zobaczył napis "Go home, Polish", wyszedł na "spacer". Przejdzie 2000 km". Radio Wroclaw. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  4. ^ O'Hagan, Sean. "Interview 'I went loopy': the photographer who walked 1,200 miles from Wales to Poland". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  5. ^ Sańczuk, Anna. "Gdzie jest dom? Projekt fotografa-wędrowca na Warsaw Gallery Weekend". Vogue. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  6. ^ Cuddy, Alice. "Anti-migrant graffiti prompts photographer to walk 1,900km from Wales to Poland". Euronews. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  7. ^ Premiyak, Liza. "Witness one photographer's epic walk from Wales to Poland". 1 June 2018. The Calvert Journal.
  8. ^ Kiedrzynek, Anna. ""Pakuj graty!" - krzyczeli Brytyjczycy do Polaków. On spakował i wrócił piechotą do kraju". Newsweek. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  9. ^ "I walked 2,000km to trace my grandfather's escape from a Russian gulag". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  10. ^ Thwaites, Millie. "A photographer walked 1,360 miles from Russia to Poland retracing the steps of relatives who escaped from a prisoner of war camp". Wales Online. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  11. ^ "Photographer recreates grandfather's POW escape". BBC News. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  12. ^ Mallonee, Laura. "Retracing a 1,300-Mile Escape From a Soviet Gulag in WWII". Wired. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  13. ^ Bonaccorso, Nicole. "Retracing a 1945 Escape from a Frozen Soviet Gulag (PHOTOS)". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  14. ^ Wright, Sophie. "Go Home, Polish". Lens Culture. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  15. ^ "Clear of People". Brave Books. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  16. ^ Bohr, Marco. "Clear of People". Photomonitor. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  17. ^ "Featured Artists". Magenta Foundation. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  18. ^ "Clear of People - by Michal Iwanowski". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  19. ^ MacFarlane, Rachel. "10 Best PhotoBooks from the NY Art Book Fair". Format. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  20. ^ Premiyak, Liza. "Photo books of 2017". The Calvert Journal. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
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