DREAM OF JAPAN - photo exhibition

English version

The Polish version in previous post

The Henryk Wieniawski Philharmonic in Lublin

and

The Informal Open Group of Friends and Lovers

of the Far East Culture and Art

photo exibition:

Dream of Japan

Honorary Patronage of the exibition:

The Embassy of Japan in Poland

在ポーランド日本国大使館     

Philharmonic Hall Foyer

26 August 2011, 7:00 p.m.

16 September 2011, 7:00 p.m.

The H. Wieniawski Philharmonic in Lublin, 5 Maria Curie-Skłodowska St.,

20-029 Lublin

Japan from the borderline of waking and dream is a run of Agnieszka Łoboda’s paintings. An oneiric mood is dominant and prevails in these works. Implied space in her art refers to dream visions, and the author places in it the various figures with their symbolic ambiguities, understatements, and open composition.

Samurais and Demon-Geisha is a series of photographs, taken by Rafał Stęgierski, that is inspired by the Japanese legend on Prince Hizen, his favourite consort O Toyo, and a warrior namad Itô Sôda. Here, again, the reality takes the shape of a dream, but in this case the dream turns out to be a nightmare. In this conventional space, the cause-effect connections and logical aftermaths of events get blurred.

Magic garden … in the Japanese style is a cycle of photographs in which realism is blended with magic. The author of photos, Artur Łazarz, draws on the imagination and refers to myths and childhood fairy tales, yet he tells the story of his own. There is a very distinct topos of garden here which is presented in a literal and a metaphorical way as well as in a metaphysical manner. In front of viewer an unknown space opens up, but a space full of harmony… well, who knows if it really happened?

magic garden…

on the other side of the mirror

dreams dwell

The collection of photo-haiga (haisha) is a space in which the magic of word is connected and mixed with the magic of image. All haiku of Dorota Pyra’s authorship. The origami photos taken by Artur Łazarz. Translations of Polish haiku into Japanese by Radosław Bolałek and Matayoshi Haraguchi. The graphic design of the whole series made by Agnieszka Łoboda. Translation into English: Lech Szeglowski.

a dry twig

after the flight of sparrows

still again

The Informal Open Group of Friends and Lovers of the Far East Culture and Art assembles people who share the ideal of active and creative lifestyle, and by having capacity for the uninhibited expressing of thoughts and ideas, they develop their own passions and special interests. Their creative works, marked with imagination and inspired by Oriental art, are oriented toward people open to an unclassical and unconventional attitude towards the fascinating art and culture of Japan and Far East.

Dorota Pyra – a preschool teacher and artist by education living in Gdańsk. She writes haiku and creates photo-haiga (haisha) by combining a word with a picture. Her haiku could be found on the Polish and foreign websites, but also in some paper publications. In 2009 she won the Grand Prize in The Shiki Special Kukai in memory of William J. Higginson – the seventh haiku contest to be held and sponsored by the Ehime Culture Foundation in Japan. The same year, her first book of haiku and free poems entitled “Icy Moon” was out (Bernardinum Press, Pelplin, 2009). A member of The Informal Group since May 2009.

Lech Szeglowski – studied literature and speech therapy and thus betraying his another passion – mathematics. He’s been writing for many years, himself calling this “a noting”. In the spare time he enjoys translating his friend’s haiku into English. However, his ties with haiku is connected, first of all, with the theory of this Japanese poetic genre. At the end of 2010 he started realization of the project “Haiku Directory” – an extensive haiku bibliography. He joined The Informal Group in October 2010, but the beginning of co-operation dated back to August 2009.

Agnieszka Łoboda – a computer graphic artist not only by profession but also by fondness. She does commercial graphics, graphic design as well as web design, and provides services for small polygraphy. The culture and art of Japan lie in the sphere of her keen interest. She is the author of numerous graphic arts and photo-haiga (haisha). A member of The Informal Group since March 2008.

Rafał Stęgierski – a lecturer at The Maria Curie-Skłodowska University of Lublin, a computer scientist and photograph aficionado; being an enthusiast of The Early Middle Ages, shows a lively interest in the customs of the Slavic people and Vikings. He maintains a blog devoted to photography mainly concerned with its technical aspect of issues in this medium. Fascinated with the Far East culture and art. A member of The Informal Group since June 2009.

Artur Łazarz – lives and works in Kraśnik. The artistic photography and computer graphics are in his area of strong interest. He creates artwork inspired by Japan, surrealism, and magic realism. In 2008 he founded The Informal Open Group of Friends and Lovers of the Far East Culture and Art. He’s responsible for all presented content and directions for further development of the group. All of its projects and activities are coordinated and funded by himself as well.

(Text's author: Artur Łazarz)

(trans. L. Szeglowski)