Chris Niedenthal “FULL CIRCLE – Poland Now and Then” 11.10 – 9.11.2019

opening Friday 11 October 2019  5:30PM – 7:30PM / vrijdag 11 oktober 2019 van 17.30u tot 19.30u

“Poland Now and Then”, by seminal photo-journalist Chris Niedenthal, comprises a series of photographs that spans the period from the 1970’s through to the present day. Niedenthal’s oeuvre contains within it some of the tectonic shifts that have shaped Polish and European recent history. From the rise of the Solidarity movement in Gdańsk, the subsequent fall of the Communist regime, Poland’s accession to the European Union, to the more recent civic protests against the current right-wing government, Niedenthal has managed to capture this macro-process from a empathetically human and thoroughly relatable perspective. Compellingly, the exhibition leads the viewer to draw instant parallels between the days of Solidarność’s mass protests against the brutal absurdity of the Communist regime and the recent protests against the misogynist and chauvinist cynicism of the current hard-right PiS (Law & Justice) government. Having seemingly come full circle, this exhibition has become all the more urgent, precisely now, taking into account the disturbing events from the last few years.

Chris will be present at the opening of the exhibition Friday 11 October 2019 at WM from 5:30PM to 7:30PM

Gdansk end of strike 31.8.1980 © Chris Niedenthal

Gdansk 2018 © Chris Niedenthal

CHRIS NIEDENTHAL

British-born (London, 1950) Polish photojournalist. Studied photography at the London College of Printing (now the London College of Communication).

He came to Poland in 1973 initially for just a few months, and has lived there ever since, documenting life under communism, working as a freelance contract photographer at first for NEWSWEEK (until 1984), covering Pope John Paul II’s pilgrimages to his home country, the birth of the Solidarity movement, and Poland under martial law. In 1985 hejoinedTIME Magazineandworked in all of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union,including covering thevictory over communism in 1989. In the early 1990s he freelanced for Der Spiegel in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Ukraine. He has published an autobiography as well as several books with his photographic work (including“1989. A Year of Hope” BOSZ, 2017). In 1986 he was awarded a prize in the World Press Photo competition, for a portrait of Hungarian communist leader Janos Kadar.

He now works on his own projects, including documenting the protests against the present rightwing government that have been taking place in Poland ever since the PiS (Law & Justice party) gained power in the 2015 elections. Over the last year he photographed the city of Gdansk in Poland, and a book of these photographs was published in June 2019 by The Museum of Gdansk.

He lives and works in Warsaw.

Supreme Court demonstration 16.07.2017 © Chris Niedenthal

Southern Poland in 1970’s © Chris Niedenthal

Poolse fotojournalist geboren in het Verenigd Koninkrijk (Londen, 1950). Studeerde fotografie aan het London College of Printing (nu het London College of Communication).

Hij ging in 1973 aanvankelijk voor slechts enkele maanden naar Polen, en is daar sindsdien blijven wonen. Als freelance contractfotograaf bij NEWSWEEK (tot 1984) documenteerde hij het leven onder het Communisme, de bedevaarten van paus Johannes Paulus II naar zijn thuisland, de opkomst van de Solidariteitsbeweging en Polen tijdens de staat van beleg. In 1985 sloot hij zich aan bij TIME Magazine en werkte in heel Oost-Europa en de Sovjet-Unie, inclusief de val van het communisme in 1989. In de vroege jaren ‘90 werkte hij als freelancer voor Der Spiegel in Slowakije, Tsjechië en Oekraïne. Hij publiceerde een autobiografie en verscheidene boeken met zijn fotografische werk (waaronder “1989. A Year of Hope” BOSZ, 2017). In 1987 ontving hij een prijs in de World Press Photo-competitie, voor een portret van de Hongaarse communistische leider János Kádár.

Niedenthal werkt nu aan zijn eigen projecten, waaronder het documenteren van de protesten tegen de huidige rechtse regering die plaatsvinden in Polen sinds de PiS (Recht & Gerechtigheid-partij) de macht kreeg bij de verkiezingen van 2015. In het afgelopen jaar fotografeerde hij de stad Gdańsk in Polen en een boek met deze foto’s werd in juni 2019 gepubliceerd door het Gdańsk Museum.

Hij woont en werkt in Warschau.

Chris zal aanwezig zijn bij de opening op vrijdag 11 oktober 2019 van 17:30 tot 19:30 uur in Gallery WM

Wroclaw girl 1982 © Chris Niedenthal

Awards and bibliography

Winner of a World Press Photo prize in 1986 for a portrait of Hungarian communist leader Janos Kadar. For several years, he freelanced for the German newsweekly DER SPIEGEL.

Four albums of his work have been published, as well as his autobiography „Chris Niedenthal. Profession: Photographer” that was published in 2011 by Marginesy. His most recent book is: “Chris Niedenthal. Selected photographs 1973-1989” (BOSZ, 2014).

Over the last year he photographed the city of Gdansk in Poland, and a book of these photographs was published in June 2019 by The Museum of Gdansk.

Media

Polonia 04.10.2019:

https://polonia.nl/2019/10/04/holandia-fotografie-chrisa-niedenthala-w-amsterdamie/

Chris Niedenthal “Full Circle” photo © Pete purnell