ABOUT
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Magdalena Gacek is a Polish artist who explores the complexity of womanhood in the world shaped by stereotypes, across Occidental and Oriental cultures. She have profoundly experienced them both by living in Europe and Asia.
In her projects, Gacek breaks away from the traditional image of a woman by revealing her duality in the context of social norms and constrained axis of relationship status, family, religion, age, education, native and acquired culture. She often does so through visually rich but expressionless self-portrait.
Gacek holds a M.A. Masters of Arts in Design from the Creative Academy in Milan and a B.A. Bachelor of Arts in Design and Visual Communication from Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw.
She was born and raised in Poland, into a largely monocultural society with one dominant Catholic religion and scars from war and communism. In 2015 she moved to another extreme – Singapore – the pinnacle of multiculturalism, melting pot of religions and provenance. It was for her a perception revolution: “Have I not experienced that physical elongation, adaptation pain and another culture so profoundly, I wouldn’t have found ways to shift the engraved in me status quo.”
In her practice she experiments with the variety of media but photography and introspective self-portrait remain her central means of expression.
Features & Highlights
2020 MAGNUM - Portolio Review Winner with “a year without” https://www.magnumphotos.com/theory-and-practice/magnum-online-portfolio-reviews/
2020 SIPF Singapore Photo Festival - Portfolio Review Highlight https://sipf.sg/本地人-the-native-swoj/
Exhibitions
2020 London Street Photo Festival with “Still life with single girl”
2020 Photo Israel with “Still life with single girl” / Photo Israel PHOTOMARATHON top 20
2019 NYC Chelsea Flatiron Gallery, New York with “Still life with single girl”
2019 Singapore Artbook Fair
Books
2019 “The Mansion – the art of adaptation” self-published / sold out
Residencies & workshops
2022 Arles Photo Folio Reviews
2020 MAI Marina Abramovic Institute “Cleaning the house” workshop
2019 Residency in Photography at the SVA School of Visual Arts, NYC
2018 Photography workshops with Tim Franco (Seoul), Maciej Stepinski(Geneva/Warsaw) and Walter Astrada (Singapore)