Aleksander Małachowski (Hashtagalek) joined forces with the Polish Humanitarian Action and took pictures of the area that was affected by the flood a year ago. He mainly photographed Lower Silesia, but he also captured a few places in the Opole region in his pictures. The effect of his work can be seen at an exhibition in Warsaw.
Aleksander Małachowski’s Lower Silesian photographs were exhibited at the Central Square in Warsaw as part of the exhibition “A trace of water. One year since the floods in Poland’. It can be viewed until 4 October. The exhibition is accompanied by stories of people affected by the flood and their photographs taken by Alicja Ryś from the Polish Humanitarian Action.
The exhibition is a form of thanks to all those who were involved in helping those affected by the flood in the south-western regions of Poland a year ago. By organising it, Polish Humanitarian Action wants to express its gratitude to donors, partners and all those who rushed to help at that time: organisations, volunteers, local activists and local governments.
What impressions did Aleksander Małachowski have of the area he photographed? What did he feel when visiting Lądek-Zdrój? We asked him a few questions.
He aroused in me a whole range of emotions – from admiration, for example, admiring one of the most beautiful swimming pools in Poland, “Zdrój Wojciech”, to sadness and horror, looking at the scale of destruction, despite the passage of a year since the disaster. All these emotions, by the way, I wanted to convey in the photographs.
You looked at the residents. You had the opportunity to talk to them.
First of all, when I said that I was creating a series of photographs for Polish Humanitarian Action, I observed in their reactions a sincere gratitude and appreciation. Nevertheless, it was also possible to sense between the words the uncertainty and bitterness in the stories told about the destruction caused a year ago.
Are they optimistic? Do they have a positive view of the future?
It was difficult for me to say. On the one hand, I felt that the wounds of last year’s floods have not been fully healed and that the still ongoing reconstruction of the cities does not allow them to fully forget those events, while on the other hand, I felt a great deal of optimism when they spoke of the support they had received from various quarters.
I also invite you to support my collection, all proceeds of which will go to further the work of Polish Humanitarian Action! The aim of the collection will be to provide immediate help – that is, the money will be able to be used during further emergencies, such as the flooding just last year. Every person who makes a donation will receive a link to download six of my favourite photos that I took during my visit to south-western Poland,” concludes Aleksander Małachowski.
The link to the collection can be found HERE.
source: PAH, edited by
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