Self-portraits from Krakow

Investigating the medium and objectivity of its message was an important theme of Adam Rzepecki's artistic work, as well as that of many other artists in the 1970s and 80s. Artists willingly marked their presence within the work and in this way attempted to analyse the influence of media on the content of the message. The series Self-portraits from Krakow is one of the works that date back to that period. The city became a background for the dominant figure of man. The artist chose places that were attractive for tourists, distinctive and symbolic, such as the Wawel Royal Castle, the Cloth Hall, St Florian's Gate or the statue of Lenin in Nowa Huta.

In his series Rzepecki employed a uniform composition. The artist poses with the same facial expression while the wide angle of the lens held straight ahead makes his arms and head appear out of proportion. Rzepecki's activities from 1970s are pioneering in relation to the modern “era of the selfie”.

Adam Rzepecki (b. 1950) pursues painting and photography, creates videos, performances and installations. In the years 1973–1979 he studied art history at Jagiellonian Univeristy in Krakow. He was the founder of the art group Łódź Kaliska (1979) and of Stacja Pi. Stacja (1990). Between the 1978 and 1981 he ran Jaszczurowa Galeria Fotografii in Krakow. In the 1980s he co-created Kultura Zrzuty art movement that was independent of state institutions, the opposition and the Churych. His works are in the collections of Bunkier Sztuki and MOCAK in Krakow, Zachęta, National Museum and Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art in Warsaw, Museum of Art.