October 2024: Josephine Tomaszewska
Newspaper cover, A part of the ’46 Steps’ project
Project Statement
Saska Kępa, Warsaw, 2019. From the bathroom window, I see a small photography studio every day. Intrigued by the place, I often wonder who runs it?
In the summer of 2022, I meet her on the street. She invites me to the studio and we talk. 50 years separate us, passion for photography unites us.
What is the position of a woman photographer in the 70s in Poland? What is it like today? At what pace are changes taking place? Is this pace sufficient?
Working with Mrs. Celina Osiecka’s archives, I compare the situation of women then and today, in 2024. The “46 Steps” is not just the distance between my apartment and the photography studio. How many steps must be taken for our hopes to become reality?
The project was created during the Mentoring Program of Sputnik Photos 2023/2024.
Artist biography
Josephine Tomaszewska (b. in Warsaw, 1991). She’s a graduate of cultural studies and The Academy of Photography. Her work focuses on the issues of ageism and the perspective of women and their place in society. She was published in “2023 in the Lenses of Polish Photographers”. Completed the 13th edition of The Sputnik Photos Mentoring Program. Josephine lives and works in Warsaw.
What is OKNO gallery?
OKNO (“window” in Polish) is a tiny one-window gallery overlooking the busy Shore area in Edinburgh, UK. It faces the bridge over the Water of Leith, and attracts attention of folks moving through this busy area.
Each month, Wojtek Kutyla, a visual artist working from the studio where the OKNO gallery is located, gives the space to one artist from outside Scotland who presents a single image and an invitation to see more online. The gallery exists to bring international talent to Scotland — and to build a connection between its hermetic photographic circles and the world. Just as the opening of a window brings a breath of fresh air, OKNO shows work that could be otherwise unrecognised in Scotland.
All work is presented free of charge (Wojtek handles printing at zero cost to the artist) and is available for purchase at the end of the display period. All money from the purchase goes to the author. If the work is not purchased or collected by the author, it is destroyed.
If you want to exhibit your work in the OKNO gallery, send an email to Wojtek.
To follow all upcoming exhibitions in the OKNO gallery, follow Wojtek Kutyla on Instagram and monitor the hashtag of #OKNOEdinburgh.
Past exhibitions
A list of artists who exhibited at the OKNO gallery will appear here. Stay tuned.