Jennifer Barua-Artist post

Piotr Zbierski

Piotr Zbierski is a photographer from Poland who studied at the National Film School. He is best known for his three famous works, which include White Elephants, Here, and Love has to be Reinvented. In 2012, he won the Leica Oscar Barnack Newcomer Award in photography. He currently now works and resides in Lodz, Poland.
These three portraits stood out to me because of his need to capture some sort of emotion on his subject through his photographs. The first picture shows an elderly person wearing some sort of black cloth over their head. They're still happy and smiling though, and I believe this represents the common quote, "Ignorance is Bliss". The second photo shows a little girl that seems to be whispering to the photographer. This could be interpreted in many ways, but to me, it seems like the little girl is trying to get a message to us, even a call of help. There is a man in the background, which could be her father, who she seems to be hiding from. In the third picture, a little boy is perfectly blinded by one ray of sunlight through his eyes. This could represent how, if controlled, a young person's judgment and thought can be blinded.
I really enjoy the stark contrast that Piotr uses in his photos, and how his portraits portray so much emotion and allow for a lot of room for interpretation. His projects focus on emotions, relations, and gestures which allow the viewer to interpret the experience on their own.