Exhibit: “With Joy Around the World”
An outsized photo exhibition opened in gallery “Rondo sztuki” in Katowice September 10. What is so special about it is the fusion of two different worlds the pictures present: the underground world of miners at work, and the world’s most recognizable landscapes.
The display is a collective project of the Polish company Joy, “National Geographic” magazine and Academy of Art in Katowice, Rondo Sztuki’s host. The exhibition coincides with the International Trade Fair for Mining, Power Generation and Metallurgy.
The exposition titled “With Joy Around the World” combines unique photos taken underground with photos showing the world’s most famous objects and most characteristic and recognizable places. The pictures come from five continents: North America, Australia, Africa, Asia and Europe.
The display was arranged to make the contrast between underground pictures and landscapes. The originators wanted to show the specific of the miners’ work, which is similar all over the world.
The exhibition was the idea of the Joy Mining Machines company, which has opened a new fabric store in Tychy recently. “Most people don’t realize how this work looks like. [Because] we have such photographs to illustrate that, we have decided to show them. We needed, however, an artistic look,” Marek Growiec, the chief of Joy, told the Polish Press Agency PAP.
All underground photos come from the collection of this company, which is one of the leading producers of mining machines in the world. It is the first time that a mining company has conducted a project with the Academy of Art. This cooperation adds to the exhibit, as does the participation of “National Geographic,” author of half of all exhibited pictures.
“Two photographs showing [the aboveground] and underground worlds created a unique combination of two different perspectives of view. We often don’t realize it but there is also a world and life underground, and it is really fascinating, ” Martyna Wojciechwska, editor-in-chief of the Polish edition of “National Geographic,” told PAP. The exhibition was inaugurated by Marek Growiec, chief of Joy company; Justyna Lauer – the dean of the Academy of Art, and Martyna Wojciechowska. It will be on display in Rondo Sztuki until September 17.