REVIEW: Survivors Saving Survivors: Photographing the Ukrainian Refugee Experience in Poland

Chuck Fishman’s recent exhibition of work, titled Survivors Saving Survivors: Photographing the Ukrainian Refugee Experience in Poland, is a portrait of love and not war. Fishman is incredibly talented at capturing this; his portfolio is full of waving public figures and energetic jazz musicians, exposing the subtle attitudes and tender moments behind distinct lifestyles rather than the suffering that plagues so much of the world. His work has been featured on the cover of many magazines like Time and Life, earning him a reputation as a recognizable and exceptional photographer.

This series of photographs was taken in mid-2022 in Poland, particularly in and around the JCC Krakow— the Jewish Community Center of Krakow in Poland, which provided endless support and resources to the influx of Ukrainians in the city— food, dinners, events, beds, et cetera. Because there was no wall reading to introduce the context of the exhibition, I gathered information about JCC Krakow’s central role in this crisis by reading the plaques beside the pictures. That is how I pieced together the meaning of Survivors Saving Survivors— Fishman is referencing the historical suffering of the Jewish community in Poland and their empathetic support for another group in crisis.

The portraits themselves weren’t very telling about the context of the situation, but they are intricately emotional; one image shows a mother with a tired expression gently comforting her children while they wait their turn outside the JCC distribution center, and another depicts heartwarming smiles between Ukrainians at a community dinner. Each moment is tender, disconnected from the chaos, but still subtly pulled by it— children playing joyfully in a too-empty playground and smiles dampened by a dissociative gaze. Every image frozen in time, although captured in an age of war and instability, represents the indomitability of the human spirit. Chuck Fishman doesn’t attempt to draw distinct lines between the Jewish and Ukrainian communities but rather depicts them as one entity in mutual solidarity— existing together through a shared experience and drive to repair.

The gallery space itself is small, just a single room with art on all 4 walls. It was manageable, though, allowing me to linger on each image longer rather than feeling rushed through it, especially taking in the differences between the photographs. All subjects were different, and locations were different too, meaning the context of one image didn’t necessarily carry over into another. This complex and human-focused approach to photojournalism is refreshing because it does not paint survivors of war as mere subjects of pity— instead, they are multi-faceted, ordinary people, attempting to build some semblance of normal life under strange circumstances. Strange is what Fishman seems to be getting at, yet in a more optimistic than pessimistic way. It is strange, he seems to be saying, that people will persist through anything, and especially persist with each other. It’s a beautiful strangeness.

The exhibition is running through the end of April! It is showing on the fifth floor of Weiser Hall in room 547. It’s right next to the Central Campus Transit Center, free, and open to the public, so make sure to stop by and see some talented work before the end of the semester!

 

 

PREVIEW: Survivors Saving Survivors: Photographing the Ukrainian Refugee Experience in Poland

In 2022, photographer Chuck Fishman traveled to Poland to photograph the influx of refugees from Ukraine. He wasn’t capturing the devastation and agony of the war, but rather something optimistic: the power of humanity in healing and uplifting communities and the ability for different groups to band together in times of exhaustion and pain. The Copernicus Center for Polish Studies, or CCPS, is holding an exhibition of Fishman’s work, titled Survivors Saving Survivors: Photographing the Ukrainian Refugee Experience in Poland. Surprisingly accessible at 547 Weiser Hall, which is right next to the Central Campus Transit Center, this exhibition is a great opportunity for students to learn about global current events, empathize with victims of crisis and war, and view the extraordinary work of an acclaimed photographer.

As a traditional artist, photography hasn’t been within my range of intense interests, but recent coursework and experimentation has led me deeper into the realm of reportage photography. I find photojournalism that has an empathetic and humanitarian approach fascinating— when the photographer strives to portray the complicated humanity within global crises, the audience is shown something emotionally important that is not typically portrayed through unbiased journalism. Chuck Fishman is noted— and has received awards— for his often black-and-white portrait photography of social and political issues in particular. He initially photographed Jewish life in Poland since 1975, and has traveled around the world to capture everything from the energy of political figures to joyous cultural moments in jazz clubs. His photographs have appeared on the covers of Time, Life, Fortune, Newsweek, The London Sunday Times, The Economist, and many others. I am intrigued to see how Fishman has portrayed the current crisis. and what kind of narratives can be brought to the surface.

The exhibition runs through April 28th, and it’s smack in the middle of central campus, tucked where you wouldn’t even notice it. Head to the International Institute Gallery at 547 Weiser anytime between 8am and 5pm to see some incredible work from an experienced artist and learn more about the Ukrainian refugee experience in Poland.

PREVIEW: Traces

What: a series of collages and Polaroids accompanied by animations seen through the augmented reality application Virtual Mutations, exploring the relationship between past and present

When: January 11-February 10, Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm

Where: Institute for the Humanities Gallery

Tickets: free and open to the public!

My mind is already bending after watching the trailer for this exhibition, linked below. Traces is a multimedia experience created by Camila Magrane, an artist trained in video game development who has experience working in photography, collage, animation and virtual and augmented reality. This particular exhibition draws from several of those disciplines, with collages and Polaroids in the physical world setting the stage for animations and clips in the virtual world, as experienced by the viewer from their device through the app Virtual Mutations. Each work is interactive, with elements in each piece only discoverable through the lens of augmented reality. The Institute for the Humanities Gallery webpage describes Magrane’s work as an exploration of the connection between past and present. I look forward to experiencing her art for myself so I can share more with you about how this is achieved. Stay tuned!

 

**featured image is a still from the trailer, 0:28

PREVIEW: PHOTOGRAPHS

Come see Louie Palu’s exhibition, PHOTOGRAPHS in the RC gallery in East Quad!

Although I’m not well-versed in the world of photography, according to the RC website, “Louie Palu is an award-winning documentary photographer and filmmaker whose work has appeared in publications and exhibitions internationally.” I find it interesting that the exhibition is simply called “Photographs” and the description doesn’t say much about the art itself, but emphasizes the many accolades Palu has up his sleeve. It seems like quite a bit deal that someone whose photography has been featured in Der Spiegel, El Pais, Le Figaro, National Geographic, The Globe and Mail, The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Washington Post has displayed their photos right here on campus, in the RC’s quaint gallery space. Just from the previews, the photos seem to have a dramatic, powerful flare that I’m excited to see in person.

The photos will be here until Monday, November 21, and the gallery is open Monday-Friday from 10:00 am-5:00 pm, so come see it soon!

Learn more here!

PREVIEW: Simona

What: a Polish documentary film brought to Ann Arbor by this weekend’s annual Polish Film Festival

When: Saturday, November 5, 2:40pm

Where: State Theater

Tickets: free with reservation on the State Theater website [click here]

Simona is a documentary about the life of Simona Kossak, a Polish scientist and environmental activist. Based on what little I could discern from Google-translated Polish film reviews, Kossak, who was descended from a long line of famous Polish painters, was rejected by her family and chose to seclude herself in Poland’s primeval Białowieża Forest for the greater part of her life. There, she studied animal behavior and advocated for the preservation of the forest’s natural environment. The film explores Kossak’s eccentric life through the lens of her great niece, Ida Matysek, using photographs taken of Kossak by her life partner, Lech Wilczek. I hope the English subtitles for the film do Kossak’s inspiring story justice, and I look forward to learning about what seems like a magical life spent in one of the world’s oldest–and most threatened–forest environments.

 

PREVIEW: Here Nor There

Here Nor There is a new solo exhibition by multidisciplinary artist and environmentalist Kristina Sheufelt, who recently received her MFA from the Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design.

In Here Nor There, Sheufelt uses “a variety of media to blur the lines between land and body.” Sheufelt has spent her past few summers living in remote backcountry locations to work on research projects where she monitored marine wildlife populations and self-directed a study of emotional psychology in the wilderness. In this exhibition, Sheufelt processes “the emotional and ecological implications of returning to life in the city between reunions with the wild.”

As someone who loves the wilderness and relates to the jarring back and forth between the city and backcountry, this caught my eye right away, and I think I’ll be able to draw a lot of personal connection to the collection. I also got a peek through the RC art gallery windows, and from what I could tell, the collection looks really raw, unique, and evocative.

It will be available to view at the RC art gallery from September 9 – October 14, 2022, 9am – 10 pm! Come see Here Nor There!

Event page on RC website: https://lsa.umich.edu/rc/news-events/all-events.detail.html/97342-21794350.html