Honorary Patronage of the President of the Republic of Poland – Aleksander Kwaśniewski
Bielsko-Biała, 19th – 28th October 2007
The presented exhibitions are mostly Polish premieres.
Modern and long-time photography, world-famous photographers – portrait, landscape, documentary, reportage, experiment.
“The Bielsko festival, gathering in one place the exhibition of the best photographers from around the world, creates a rare opportunity to confront the achievements of artists from different cultural backgrounds and environments with a different approach to their own work.” – “Art and Business”
“I saw several hundred photographs on Friday and … I still wanted more. Because the FotoArtFestival exhibitions in Bielsko-Biała are like boxes of chocolates for Forrest Gump: each conceals something unique and unknown. “-” Gazeta Wyborcza ”
“The organizers of the festival reached for authors from the top shelf” – “Fotopolis”
“A dozen or so world photography stars came – because, as Sarah Moon said – they wanted to not only meet the festival audience, but also themselves: they rarely have the opportunity to do so.” – “World of Image”
“Commitment, enthusiasm and unselfish dedication of the organizers themselves and the entire volunteer renaissance resulted in the creation of a new prestigious cultural event. (…) The authors of the pictures presented at the festival are the most frequently repeated names on world lists of genius photographers. (…). The great success is also the fact that they not only send their work, but also come to Bielsko-Biała personally (…). “-” Zalew of culture ”
“It was possible to hear the opinion that the new festival phenomenon in Europe is growing, it may soon be in the world.” – “Zalew kultury”
“It was possible to hear the opinion that the new festival phenomenon in Europe is growing, it may soon be in the world.” – “Zalewkultury”
“Everyone interested in native and world photography appeared at the opening of probably probably the best in terms of quality and choice of creators of the FotoArtFestival exhibition in Bielsko-Biała.” – signs.pl
“They managed (organizers) to download to the small, unknown in the world of the exhibition real photo stars, and even to persuade them to participate in a meeting in Bielsko-Biała. This is a great success. They managed a festival that despite the small organizational flaws, but thanks to the intimate atmosphere and interesting exhibitions, has become an important cyclical event in Poland. “-” Relations, Interpretations ”
“You’ve just missed the best photography festival in the world. Actually, I’m not sure that it is a good thing to tell you about it, because there is not even a standing place anymore, and part of the success of this festival is, among other things, the size of a human measure. If everyone comes next time, it may not be the same again! “- Peter Marshall,” Photography About “(United Kingdom)
“The festival edition of 2007 was clearly better than the previous edition in many ways, as the organizers gained experience. Photographers were very well looked after and the exhibitions were perfectly installed and illuminated. “- Peter Marshall,” Photography About “(United Kingdom)
“Poland still seems to me only a dream, full of beautiful women. Sometimes it seems to me that I need to pinch myself to wake up and realize that none of this really happened and to return to a normal life. Literally it was fantastic. Thank you very much, Inez, for everything she did and for inviting me to participate in this event. It was a real honor for me to meet Naomi and Nina Rosenblum, and especially to watch Walter Rosenblum’s exhibition in their company and share with them the delight of how well these works were presented. It was a joy to meet all other photographers … FotoArtFestival is really special and I am sure that it is the warmest of all festivals (despite the snow) and Bielsko-Biała can be proud of it. “- Peter Marshall (UK)
“I am very happy that I was able to meet the Polish audience at your festival and I really liked the way you presented my exhibition. It all made my stay in Bielsko a wonderful experience. “- Sarah Moon (France)
“I really enjoyed staying in Bielsko, I saw wonderful exhibitions and met interesting people.” – Joan Fontcuberta (Spain)
“Thank you, thank you, thank you! We spent a wonderful time with you and we are very grateful for that. “- Nina and Naomi Rosenblum (USA)
“Here, in Argentina, the sky is gray and reminds me a little of Poland, which is a beautiful place for me, inhabited by good people. Thank you very much for inviting me to FotoArtFestival, because it had a double meaning for me – returning to the old continent and complicity in beautiful moments of life. Photography is the thread that connects everything. “- Jose Luis Raota (Argentina)
“Personally, I would not want to miss all of this. It was simply great! Exhibitions, press conference and inaugural concert. And of course, the huge effort of everyone to succeed. Guardians of artists, volunteers …, meetings with famous photographers from around the world, personal contact with them and their work – I was moved by it all. It is a real honor for me that I could be among them. I will never forget FotoArtFestival and I will recommend it to everyone! “- Alex ten Napel (Holland)
“Thank you very much for the nice invitation to FotoArtFestial to Bielsko. The festival has a great atmosphere and the exhibitions were perfectly mounted. I am very happy that we had the opportunity to participate in this event. All good! “- Marian Pauer (Czech Republic)
“I just came back from Poland, quite a special place! The meetings were well organized and there were a lot of people. I have never met such an enthusiastic audience! I think it is really a very important festival, acting as a dialogue between East and West, where I saw a lot of good works that I have not met before. “- Mitra Tabrizian (Iran / United Kingdom)
“Thank you for your hospitality and care. Time has passed quickly, and this is proof that it was a good time. Good time has its speed. It was a pity to part. “- Misha Gordin (Latvia / USA)
“Once again, we would like to thank you for the opportunity to participate in such an amazing event as FotoArtFestival. He charged us with extremely strong emotions, from which we will probably draw energy and inspiration for a long time. We are glad that there is a catalog that you can share with others, sink yourself once again in these amazing photographs.
You managed to invite fantastic photographers, and above all fascinating and beautiful people, each of whom was a strong personality, everyone was different. This diversity was extremely valuable and very necessary. In general, it is rare for any photography festival in Poland to be so diverse, yet at such a high level. We admire the very preparation of exhibitions (exposition, lighting), which created the possibility of a very intimate reception. And these positive impressions were intensified by the favorable weather and the city itself: Bielsko-Biała. “- Monika, Alicja, Krzysiek
“I warmly congratulate this edition of the festival. You could see and feel that there is a lot of interest, mainly young people. The exhibitions were crowds of visitors and this is definitely a great forecast for the future. In my opinion, the festival will become a fixed point of events organized in Bielsko and will provide the city and, of course, many reasons for pride and satisfaction. “- Iza
