ALBUM

author: Renata Dąbrowska
binding: hard
dimensions: 297/210 mm
number of pages: 232
language: pol/ang
publishing house: Renata Dąbrowska
year of publishment: 2012

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DREAMS COME TRUE!

In 2009 I came up with an idea to find and portray women with the same name and surname as me.

The idea, seemingly easy, was extremely difficult to execute, requiring a long search, good logistics, thousands of phone calls, emails, conversations, nerves and tears, a lot of persistence, the power of persuasion, numerous journeys (over 25 thousand kilometres driven), considerable financial outlays, and of course time (almost 3 years) . That’s probably why the realization of the project gave me a lot of satisfaction.

I found and portrayed one hundred women named Renata Dąbrowska. The diversity of their personalities, characters, appearance and worlds made our meetings really amazing, they taught me a lot and became embedded in my memory forever.

Our name is a common denominator and the main subject of my photographs, but in addition a real inspection of the Polish women’s community and a piece of Poland emerge, very diversified, but beautiful.

When I came up with this idea, I didn’t realize that it was the beginning of an incredible adventure, a start of something which would become so important to me. So far, it has been my most important photographic-sociological project, very personal. Watching the album – our 100 portraits, I smile and I am touched, I am proud and happy!

Today, with great pleasure and satisfaction I would like to present my first album ” I, Renata Dąbrowska – 100 portraits”.

RECOMMENDATIONS

I often ask myself – why do I take photos? I don’t do that for money, yet photography, though it may sound pompously, is the essence of my life. That’s why I understand Renata Dąbrowska and her huge work of taking over one hundred photographs of her namesakes, living in Poland and abroad. Why? Maybe out of curiosity, maybe for other reasons…? The successful execution of an idea of preparing a series of one hundred portraits required a long-term action plan, lots of various moves, culture, diplomatic and psychological skills to overcome fears and hesitations of people who are photographed, the fears mentioned by the photographer. The idea required determination, courage, patience and the pursuit of a precise artistic goal.

Living her life, Renata constantly looks around, absorbs everything, and is constantly curious about what can be found round the corner, over the horizon. Is it enough to call such a person just an extrovert? I guess not, and that is Renata’s phenomenon. It’s “something” more. It’s something I also understand well and appreciate. It’s the love of crazy ideas, of a risk in seemingly senseless enterprises, of plans more real in dreams than in “a sensible life”. It’s a constant search for something which cannot be described or defined. It’s an escape from depressing stabilization and its walls. It’s a little child’s eyes, constantly wide open, absorbing life greedily. This type of person isn’t often met…

In her collection, Renata showed her own identity, she showed her own portrait which combines a lot of faces, personalities and characters. It proves that reality is mostly a story about others. Listening and watching carefully, we can get out of limiting us egoistic personality and we can see ourselves.

Prof. Grzegorz Przyborek
PWSFTviT w Łodzi.

The project is an excellent example of artistic activity of a conscious and independent artist in the field of photography. Her independent attitude and constant work she puts in self-development and in the development of her work are worth appreciating…

Renata Dąbrowska has virtues of an ambitious person, who consciously and with great determination pursues a predetermined goal.

With full conviction I recommend Renata Dąbrowska as a reputable and original artist.

Prof. Stefan Czyżewski
PWSFTviT w Łodzi.

Postawę pani Renaty Dąbrowskiej wyróżnia wzorowa rzetelność i zaangażowanie w pracy, oraz wnikliwość i otwartość w poszukiwaniu rozwiązań w realizacji zadań dydaktycznych. Jej twórczość fotograficzna przechodzi interesującą ewolucję świadczącą o szybkim poszerzeniu świadomości medium jakim się posługuje. Efektem tego są prace reprezentujące oryginalne wartości. O ich poziomie świadczy nie tylko rozwój jej kariery zawodowej jako fotoreporterki, ale również nagrody i wyróżnienia zdobyte w ciągu ostatnich lat w ogólnopolskich konkursach fotografii prasowej, indywidualne wystawy jej fotografii i udział w wielu zbiorowych, oraz liczne publikacje zarówno w czołowych polskich pismach ilustrowanych jak i w publikacjach książkowych.

Prof. Lech Lechowicz