On illuminated advertising panels in central Krakow locations we present selected photographs by Krzysztof Marchlak from the series Art Is Me. These are portraits of Krakow painters of different generations.

The portrayed artists: Tomek Baran, Dawid Czycz, Kamil Kukla, Agata Kus, Piotr Lutyński, Krzysztof Marchlak, Kinga Nowak, Justyna Smoleń, Beata Stankiewicz, Witold Stelmachniewicz, Zuzanna Szary, Małgorzata Wielek

Krzysztof Marchlak meets up with artists in their studios to create together with them stage sets for the shots, consisting of their artworks. The painters position themselves against the backdrop of pictures they have painted; it is in dialogue with their own work that the dense, highly expressive portraits are forged.

The photographs bring each of the figures and their temperaments to life in a unexpected ways. The images have a painterly quality – through composition, colour and light, they draw on the old masters.

The project highlights paintings from Krakow, bringing them and local artists to the attention of both the city’s residents and tourists to encourage discussion of the creative process. The presentation also aims to promote photography as an important medium of contemporary art.

The exhibition has been organised as part of Krakow Creative Scholarship 2023.

Krzysztof Marchlak (1987) – photographer, painter, creator of artistic objects and installations. Assistant professor at the Faculty of Art of the Pedagogical University in Krakow. In his photographs he engages in portraying Krakow communities of actors, visual artists and LGBTQ people. He is interested in social themes concerning social minorities, portraiture and the narrative nature of still life. He was awarded the special Director’s Award in the photographic competition Exhibit Yourself at CoCA 2022, in Toruń, for which he produced a solo exhibition Beautiful Escapes (2023). He works closely with UFO Art Gallery, Shefter Gallery, Nocny Art Patrol and The Little Black Gallery. He periodically publishes his work in the international queer photography magazine BOYS! BOYS! BOYS!.