Tomasz Gudzowaty Livres

This book by Tomasz Gudzowaty, a photographer otherwise known for impeccably crafted black-and-white images, is a bold and unexpected attempt to embrace the aesthetics of chance, hidden in what he once considered a byproduct of his artistic process. Polaroid Type 55 fi lm—which produced instant positive prints in addition to negatives—was a cult favorite of photographers using large-format cameras until 2008 when Polaroid announced it would cease production of all instant fi lm. Imperfect, over- or underexposed, scratched and sometimes barely legible, the positive prints were usually discarded or kept as rough proofs to aid the selection of negatives to print. Here, they stand as works of art all their own.

This is the fi rst monograph by Tomasz Gudzowaty, presenting a selection of his iconic pictures which have won him numerous awards and international recognition, alongside previously unpublished material. True Love Never Dies contains two decades of work by Gudzowaty, who dexterously explores a wide range of genres and formats—from social documentary to portraiture, from wildlife to sport, from austere black-andwhite pictures in the tradition of photojournalism to sophisticated color compositions. In editing the book, Gudzowaty eschews chronological or thematic order for a sequence shaped by moods and relationships, all unifi ed by his consistent and engaging investigation of the world and human condition.

Beyond the Body is the result of an unlikely meeting between Tomasz Gudzowaty and Nan Goldin, who represent diametrically different personalities, sensibilities, and modes of artistic creation, yet both of whom stand behind stunningly clear, consistent visions. Goldin draws on Gudzowaty’s rich archive to create her own narrative—detached from its original thematic context and purpose to form a continuous fl ow of images that reaches a deeper, metaphysical dimension of sport. The people in the photographs—fl ying, fl oating, upside down—strive to escape, to liberate themselves from corporeal limitations, and to transcend their physical boundaries in order to attain a mystical state of mind. As Goldin lucidly puts it: “They are breaking the rules of how we are bound to the earth.”

Tomasz Gudzowaty became established as a wildlife documentary photographer in 1999, when he won the first of his World Press Photo awards in the nature category with a remarkable image of two cheetah cubs just about to take down their first prey. He has since traveled extensively throughout sub-Saharan Africa, amassing thousands of images of elephants, lions, cheetahs, wildebeest, zebras and other species. In 2008 Gudzowaty documented a remote emperor penguin colony in the Weddell Sea, a project he continued through his work on South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Gudzowaty's wildlife photography is characterized by a technical and aesthetic sophistication that is particularly visible in his depictions of large-scale natural spectacles, such as the annual wildebeest migration in Tanzania or the breeding season on the penguin rookeries. This book captures Gudzowaty's passion and deep knowledge of his subject: keenly observing both general patterns and minute details, he brings the viewer closer to nature's inner workings and beauty.

Tomasz Gudzowaty (*1971 in Warsaw) is one of today's preeminent photographers in Poland. His medium is film-based black-and-white photography that places a premium on what is disappearing and falling into oblivion, cast aside, outside the mainstream. He focuses on human emotions, passions, and choices, and conveys his message by means of sublime and highly aesthetic yet simple pictures. Keiko is a story about a one-of-a-kind place and about the people who shape it. The artist documented the work and lives of shipbreakers in Chittagong, the second-largest city in Bangladesh, where thirty to forty percent of the seven hundred ocean-going ships taken out of service every year are scrapped. The book reminds us that despite the progress of civilization, work can still be a physical challenge that may provide a livelihood but at the same time robs people of any scope to change the status quo.