Jurek Wajdowicz

In his dual practice as a graphic designer and artist, Jurek Wajdowicz explores what, at first glance, are oppositions. On the one hand, in his work for international non-governmental institutions that are fighting for a safer, healthier, and more just world, the artist engages with sometimes disturbing images of poverty, inequality, and violence, incorporating them into bold graphic designs. On the other hand, when he turns his focus to his personal photographic work, he creates more peaceful, contemplative images, which bring about an atmosphere of illumination, meditation, tranquility, and hope.

The complexity in this work has evolved from Wajdowicz’s own life experience. In the foreword to Wajdowicz’s book Liminal Spaces (Lars Müller Publishers, 2014), Fred Ritchin Dean Emeritus of the International Center of Photography (ICP) School, observes, “In an adjacent universe, Wajdowicz is one of our foremost designers in active pursuit of human rights… In his uncompromising photojournalistic collaborations, he has been to places gripped in the throes of conflict or strife. Embodied in his personal work is a response.”

“Wajdowicz’s images are created through the lens, leaving the literal behind as color, light, and form that are carefully shaped to near or absolute abstraction. As a result, the viewer may experience a poem, a piece of music, or a vision, defined not only by what the artist reveals, but by what we ourselves discover in his work. Indeed, his works actively negotiate the space between photography and painting, as the intimacy and minimalism of each piece gives one the strong sense that the colors and shapes have been applied directly by the artist’s own hand.” —Nailya Alexander Gallery, New York.

Wajdowicz’s work can be found in the collections of the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg; the Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts, Lausanne; European Central Institute for Art History, Munich; the Poster Museum, Warsaw; the Modern Art Museum, Lodz; the Book Art Museum, Lodz; the United States Library of Congress, Washington, DC; the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, New York; the Arcus Foundation, New York; and the Rockefeller Foundation, New York, among other collections.

“Contemporary artist photographer Jurek Wajdowicz creates minimalist semi-abstract meditative spaces – evoking dreams, sublime music, and intimate transience. Making the mundane extraordinary, leaving poetry in the viewer’s mind.” — Eamonn McCabe, The London Book Fair.

Exhibitions (Selected)

2023   The Photography Show presented by AIPAD, March 31 - April 2, New York

2021   Holiday Show, Nailya Alexander Gallery, New York

2021   Minimalist Spaces, EWS-Gallery, New York

2021   Every Exit is an Entrance, Nailya Alexander Gallery, New York
2018   Luminescence, Book Art Museum, Lodz, Poland
2018   Lucie Foundation, New York

2016   Primary Forces, Nailya Alexander Gallery, New York
2015   Solace, Kasia Michalski Gallery, Warsaw, Poland

Collections (Selected)

European Central Institute for Art History, Münich, Germany

Musée de Design et d'Arts Appliqués Contemporains, Lausanne, Switzerland

Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany

Muzeum Sztuki, Lodz, Poland 

National September 11 Memorial & Museum, New York 

The Book Art Museum, Lodz, Poland

The Rockefeller Foundation, New York

United Nations, New York

United States Library of Congress, Washington, DC
Wilanow Poster Museum, Warsaw, Poland

(Selected) 

2021   Every Exit is an Entrance – Nailya Alexander Gallery/EWS Press, USA

2018   67/11 – EWS Press, USA 

2017   Photography Annual – Graphis Books, USA
2016   Pride & Joy: Taking the Streets of New York City – The New Press, USA 

2015   Solace, Vol. 3 – Kasia Michalski Gallery, Poland
2014   Liminal Spaces, Fotografie_75 – Lars Müller Publishers, Switzerland 

   @jurek_wajdowicz