ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
“Sociological Record”, considered to be an invaluable document of Polish reality from the 1970s to the 1990s, is not only a collection of photographs showing people in their homes. It is first and foremost monumental research material, revealing the relationship between the individual and the space they create and live in. It is an extraordinary series, with no equivalent in Polish photography, presenting a portrait of a human family in its own intimate surroundings.
The main part of the collection consists of images of rural and urban inhabitants, created in various regions of Poland and abroad. Rydet’s photographs are characterised by a consistent compositional arrangement: the people portrayed are presented against the most important wall of their home, often decorated with tapestries, paintings or family memorabilia. Although the photographs may appear austere, they conceal a remarkable emotionality. The author has repeatedly emphasised that the most important thing for her is the human being. Therefore, the key aspect of the exhibition “The World of Women in Zofia Rydet’s Lens” is to capture the woman and her role in the social and cultural context.
Zofia Rydet began working on “Sociological Record” in the summer of 1978, during a holiday spent at her brother’s house in Rabka. At that time, she embarked on an extraordinary journey, visiting various towns and villages, where she not only documented reality, but above all, looked at the human being, saving hundreds of small worlds from oblivion. She emphasised that the interiors she photographed were fascinating because their creators were people. She saw something beautiful and captivating in every human being – something worth saving.
In this context, the portrait of women captured by Zofia Rydet is extremely fascinating, because it faithfully depicts not only their environment, but also the social roles that the heroines of her photographs had to face. Analysing the academic literature on women and femininity, one can see that over the centuries, both concepts have been subject to constant redefinition and have been closely conditioned by socio-cultural changes.
Looking at Zofia Rydet’s photographs, we have the impression that the women captured in them symbolise our settling into the world. On the one hand, they nurture intergenerational relationships that fit into the traditional scheme of love, marriage and motherhood. On the other hand, despite the strong attachment to tradition in our culture, Rydet noticed and documented social changes, including the progressive emancipation of women. Her photographs show women not only in domestic roles, but also professionally active, performing ever new social functions.
Is there, then, a universal portrait of the Polish woman? Do the women captured by Zofia Rydet reflect contemporary models created by the mass media? It is difficult to create a single unified image of femininity that would be satisfactory for every woman and in which everyone could find a piece of themselves. However, one cannot fail to notice that it is popular culture that has become the main narrator of female identity today. That is why we invite you all the more to the exhibition ‘Zofia Rydet’s World of Women in Lens’, which allows you to look at women through the prism of their own stories, interiors and constantly changing social roles.
Anna Kempa-Gąsior
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Zofia Rydet (1911-1997), born in Stanisławów, was for many years associated with Upper Silesia, where she was active in the development of photography, among others as a member of the Gliwice Photographic Society, a lecturer at the Silesian University of Technology and a member of the Union of Polish Art Photographers. Her photographs are characterised by a unique combination of simplicity and emotional depth, as well as inspiration from modern art trends.
Rydet’s works can be found in major museum collections such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the Museum of Art in Łódź.
The exhibition will be on display until 20 April 2025.
EXHIBITION PARTNERS
HONORARY PATRONAGE
STAROSTA POWIATU TARNOGÓRSKIEGO
ADAM CHMIEL
WÓJT GMINY ŚWIERKLANIEC
GRZEGORZ ZADĘCKI
MEDIA PATRONAGE
