WSA AUDITORIUM, Modrzewskiego 12, Bielsko-Biała
12th October 2019 (Saturday, 9:30 am – 9:00 pm)
You need tickets for the Authors’ Marathon. The Programme may change.
MEETINGS WITH THE MOST RENOWNED PHOTOGRAPHERS IN THE WORLD – SATURDAY (12th OCTOBER)
DIAS SHOW 1st ROUND
and
FOTO OPEN FINALS
9:30 – 10:00 pm
Opening of the Marathon
and FotoOpen Award Ceremony
CLEMENS ASCHER
(Austria)
Meeting at 10:00 am
Born in 1983 in Innsbruck. He graduated from the Miami Ad School Europe in Hamburg, where he completed his qualifications as an art director and commercial photographer. His talent was already discovered while he was still studying and won him awards such as the “German Student of the year” from German ADC. He has participated in several group and solo shows internationally and works for international clients. Clemens lives and works between Vienna, Innsbruck, London, and Hamburg. The Art of Clemens Ascher is multi allusive, in both his use of layered symbolism and his treatment of photography as a medium. His practice spans from conceptual series, which depict entirely constructed realities, to non fictional – representational photographs, which relate portraiture to still life, architectural or landscape photography. He searches to reveal the metaphysical, the non-objective and the wonderful in everyday life. While his conceptual projects mostly attend to different forms of societal control and oppression, his “representational” works show a great interest in a wider field of social structures and the human influence on nature, in a truly spellbinding way.ABOUT THE ARTIST
VINCENT DESCOTILS
(France)
Meeting at 10:55 am
Represented by Melting Art Gallery in Lille and Galerie Courcelles in Paris. Born in 1965, lives in Combs la Ville (Seine et Marne). Since 1994 has exhibited His photographs are published in specialist press (including: Réponses photo, Miroirs de l’arts). He makes photographic reports for the cinema, television, theater or as part of educational projects abroad (e.g. for the Phare Ponleu Selpack school in Cambodia or in Brazil with the Guarani Indians). He began his professional practice as an illustrator for press and publishing houses for children, and currently he implements visual communication projects for musicians, theater and dance groups. For about fifteen years, he has been designing sets for exhibitions, for theaters, but above all, for the contemporary dance group “Planquette des Animaux Humides“. He creates time-lapse videos for videoclips and live performances. He also leads visual arts workshops and regularly works as an artist and photographerABOUT THE ARTIST
his works at collective or solo exhibitions organised by cultural institutions and galleries in France and abroad.
for many institutions (La Cimade, cultural associations, MJC), kindergartens and art schools.
JULIA FULLERTON-BATTEN
(Germany)
Meeting at 11:50 am
Julia Fullerton-Batten, born in Bremen Germany in 1970 has dual British and German nationality. She studied photography and assisted professional photographers for five years before turning professional in 2000. She has lived in London on the banks of the River Thames for many years. Her very first fine-art project, “Teenage Stories” rocketed her into recognition as a fine-art photographer in 2005 when it was also published as a monograph. A fine-art portrait commission from the National Portrait Gallery cemented her position. She has now completed thirteen major projects on varied subject matters. Her second book, “The Act” was self-published in 2018. Fullerton-Batten is now in the process of completing her largest project to-date, “Old Father Thames”, illustrating historical stories, customs and traditions to be found along the entire length of the River Thames from its source to the Thames Estuary at the North Sea. Her very distinctive style of photography is epitomised by her use of unusual locations, highly creative settings, street-cast models, all accented with her trademark cinematic lighting. She insinuates visual tensions in her images, and imbues them with a hint of mystery, combining to tease the viewer to re-examine the picture, each time seeing more content and finding a deeper meaning. These distinctive qualities have established enthusiasts for her work worldwide and at all ends of the cultural spectrum, from casual viewers to connoisseurs of fine-art photography.ABOUT
STEPHANIE GENGOTTI
(Italy)
Meeting at 12.45 pm
She lives for travelling and photography. She is of Italian and French nationality, enriched with a mixed, cultural assembly of Greek, Japanese and American family origins. Her Rome home is the starting point for many of her multiple explorations, the lab where she prepares and processes all her storytelling ingredients. Her parents, both flight attendants, gave her the chance to travel all over the world from early childhood. With no hypocrisy or false myths: she was only 7 years old when her father took her to Bombay and showed her a street with small children forced into prostitution. Maybe this is why she immediately learnt to look at the surrounding and global reality with the irresistible need to narrate, stepping right into the least explored aspects of human society. From gypsy camps to the remote African villages, fearlessly mixing portraits and landscape as different parts of the Whole. Her eyes do not expect to judge reality, but she follows individuals and talks about the most intimate and secret side of people and the environment.ABOUT THE ARTIST
MICHAEL HANKE
(Czech Republic)
Meeting at 1:40 pm
Born in 1972 in Kladno. His photographic career began when he was 40 years old, however, only one year later, he began to receive prestigious awards for his work, both at regional (Czech Press Photo) and international level (World Press Photo, Sony World Photography Awards, International Photographer of the Year). He is two-time World Press Photo winner. In 2017 he was awarded for his “Youth Chess Tournaments” photo series, and in 2019 for “Never Saw Him Cry” photo series. From the very beginning of his career, he has dedicated his work to the humanistic black-and-white documentary photography, focusing on long-term projects.ABOUT THE ARTIST
DIAS SHOW 2nd ROUND
3:30 pm
ZUZANA LAPTIKOVA
(Slovakia)
Meeting at 3:55 pm
Assistant Director of OFF_ Festival in Bratislava. Art Historian. Curator of several exhibitions of Slovakian and foreign photography. Worked in Central European House of Photography. Cooperator of European Month of Photography and Month of Photography in Bratislava. Currently is working on the history of European photography of the 20th century. Editor of the book Common Nature by Máté Bártha.ABOUT THE ARTIST
THOMAS LICEK
(Austria)
Meeting at 4:50 pm
Organizer of the Month of Photography in Vienna—Eyes On—and its artistic director. Secretary of the European Month of Photography (international network of photo festivals). He created the Spotlight portal—a platform for photographers interested in making their own books. He is an experienced and recognized world reviewer of documentary and conceptual photography.ABOUT THE ARTIST
MARISKA KARTO
(Suriname)
Meeting at 5:45 pm
Mariska Karto started her career as a photo artist in 2012 officially. In short time she has won various well known international awards (including the PX3 Prix De La Photographie De Paris, First place Gold Award, in complete category Professionals Fine Art) and is also nominated as Ambassador of tolerance by Palace of Tolerance in 2016. Since 2015 she is a Photography Digital / Design/ IT/ Hybride teacher the Netherlands. In short time Mariska Karto was able to develop her creative forces to the utmost levels and creates next to her visual ethereal storytelling portraits, masterful complex hyperphoto collages that goes further than beyond this world. In her work time plays an important role. In her collages she brings stories of our travels in time and society together and make them one journey. Mariska is fascinated with issues in our current time in society, both at urban level and at international global level. She believes that, besides beauty and aesthetic designs, art also aims self-reflection. Her storytelling work contains a powerful atmosphere of mystery, heavenly dark and dreamy language.ABOUT THE ARTIST
KATRINA KEPULE
(Latvia)
Meeting at 6:40 pm
She received her first education in photography at Riga vocational school. Then continued with a B.A. in Audio and Visual Culture and Theory from the Latvian Academy of Culture. Her introduction to contemporary photography started at International Summer School of Photography (ISSP) in Ludza and continued with a two year informal education program at the School. She has participated in masterclass by Jan Grarup: Essence of photojournalism, Artist’s Book making workshop by Nico Baumgarten (2014), Stairway to photobook, Akina-ISSP, Jason Fulford workshop – Visual Language: How Pictures Speak to Each Other (ISSP). She graduated from contemporary photography and personal projects Master studies as a recipient of the Roberto Villagraz scholarship at EFTI, Madrid. She worked as a photo reporter at Chancellery of the Latvian Parliament (2010) and on assignments for Helsingin Sanomat (from 2017). Currently freelancing and working on personal projects. She took part in numerous international exhibitions (solo and group) and is the author of a few personal self-published books.ABOUT THE ARTIST
MIA MC CORNIK / FILM FAF
(USA)
Meeting and Film Show at 7:35 pm
(Cristina Mittermeier and Brooke Shadeno)
ABOUT THE ARTIST
KELLY MENA / FILM FAF
(USA)
Meeting and Film Show at 7:35 pm
(Cristina Mittermeier and Brooke Shadeno)
ABOUT THE ARTIST
The meetings are in English and Polish and are translated simultaneously to both languages (you will get earphones).
