{"id":38770,"date":"2026-07-28T10:16:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T08:16:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/warsztatykultury.pl\/wydarzenia\/children-of-srednia-wies-through-the-lens-of-jukka-male-summer-school-of-tradition-photography-exhibition\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T15:10:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T13:10:00","slug":"children-of-srednia-wies-through-the-lens-of-jukka-male-summer-school-of-tradition-photography-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"mec-events","link":"https:\/\/warsztatykultury.pl\/en\/wydarzenia\/children-of-srednia-wies-through-the-lens-of-jukka-male-summer-school-of-tradition-photography-exhibition\/","title":{"rendered":"Children of \u015arednia Wie\u015b through the lens of Jukka Male | Summer School of Tradition | photography exhibition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photography is not always evidence of anything. It cannot bear witness to what is invisible. The most important things can sometimes be unseen or disappear.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Jukka Male, February 2, 2022<\/p>\n

About<\/h2>\n

Jukka Male is a Finnish photographic artist who first came to the village of \u015arednia Wie\u015b, located in the Bieszczady Mountains in southern Poland, in 1979.<\/p>\n

\u015arednia Wie\u015b looks like an ordinary Polish village. Even its name could be misinterpreted as meaning an average or ordinary village. In fact, the village\u2019s modern name comes from Terpicz\u00f3w, a settlement that was once divided into three parts, specifically its middle section \u2013 Terpicz\u00f3w \u015aredni. The people here live just as they do anywhere else.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For 36 years, he kept returning to the same places and people, documenting their lives and the changes they experienced. The villagers welcomed him warmly, and over time he earned their trust and friendship. Jukka Male photographed everyday life, family celebrations, work, and leisure. Thanks to his long-term documentation, we can witness these transformations \u2013 children seen in his black-and-white photographs later reappear as teenagers in colour images taken in the \u201cnew Poland.\u201d<\/p>\n

The selection of works presented in the exhibition focuses primarily on children, whose lives Jukka Male portrayed as they truly were \u2013 without unnecessary staging or idealisation. We see them playing, working, and resting. They are full of the simple joy of being together and having fun, while also helping with farm work and supporting their parents and grandparents. We also see the world in which they grew up \u2013 the yard, the fields, the family home, and the people closest to them.<\/p>\n

The black-and-white photographs were taken between 1979 and 1981, while the colour images date from the post-communist period. The use of colour is an essential part of the artist\u2019s visual language, but it also serves as a marker of time and social change.<\/p>\n

For a very long time, I observed \u015arednia Wie\u015b in the dark, without knowing the region\u2019s difficult history. I first came here because I wanted to see the hilly landscape furthest away from Finland. I was looking for an inspiring environment, so I kept travelling through increasingly hilly regions until I reached the Northern Carpathians. It happened by chance, and fortunately so.<\/em><\/p>\n

My photographs of \u015arednia Wie\u015b span 36 years. My first visit was in 1979, and the last one took place in April 2015. During that time, both Poland and \u015arednia Wie\u015b underwent enormous changes \u2013 the collapse of the socialist regime and, later, Poland\u2019s accession to the European Union.<\/em><\/p>\n

Since my first visit, the most visible change in the village has been that three hundred cows and one hundred horses have vanished from the landscape. But an even greater change has taken place in my own mind. Because of what is invisible.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The exhibition is presented as part of the \u201cSummer School of Tradition\u201d project.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Summer School of Tradition is organized by the Kultura Enter Foundation.<\/strong>
\nThe project is implemented with the support of the City of Lublin.<\/strong>
\nIn cooperation with: Workshops of Culture in Lublin, the Re:tradition \u2013 Jagiellonian Fair festival, and the Dominican Monastery in Lublin.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Details<\/h2>\n

When:<\/strong> August 2026, open 24 hours a day
\nWhere:<\/strong> Hartwig Alley
\nAdmission free<\/strong><\/p>\n

Accessibility<\/h2>\n