Zofia Rydet - Sociological Record 1978-1990
24.02-5.05.2019, 1 Sandomierska St., Sociological Record 1978-1990 is an exhibition presenting the works of Zofia Rydet (b.1911 – d.1997), one of the most prominent figures in Polish photography.
Like most post-war artists, the author of Sociological Record came to photography through the path of an amateur: through passionate photography, meetings, discussions, mutual criticism among enthusiasts. Perhaps this is what made Zofia Rydet’s work know no limits; it came from need, not calculation.
Already at a very mature age – Zofia Rydet was 67 when the concept was specified – she began to create her magnum opus: “Sociological Record,” a series with no equivalent in Polish photography, a gigantic portrait of a human family in the interior. She continued it wherever she found herself, overcoming her own weakness. “Zapis” is a dozen thousand negatives, in huge part unused, because there was not enough life to work with.
The author’s first precise notes on her work on the Sociological Record date back to 1978. The first idea for the series was conceived as early as the 1960s, but the rather extensive photographic material from the earlier period of her work – which largely fulfilled the goals of the Record – was not included in it.
The main core of the entire collection – paintings referred to as canonical shots – consisted of images of rural and urban residents, created in various regions of Poland and abroad. They are united by strict compositional rigor. They show people – singly, in pairs or in a group, against the background of a selected wall of their apartment. The photographs were taken using flash, with the widest possible view of the entire interior and the greatest possible depth of field.
The series, which also consisted of several smaller, complementary sets of photographs (“Presence,” “Myth of Photography,” “Women on the Thresholds,” “Occupations”), was continued by the artist until the 1990s. The fully digitized series – more than 12,000 photos – can be viewed at www.zofiarydet.com.
The main part of her artistic output is currently in the depository of the Zofia Rydet Foundation, which aims to promote and redefine the artist’s work.
Zofia Rydet’s works can also be found in major Polish collections, including: the National Museum in Wroclaw, the Museum of Art in Lodz, the Silesian Museum in Katowice, the Museum of Photography in Krakow, the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, as well as abroad: including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto and the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television in Bradford.
The exhibition at the Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola, 1 Sandomierska Street, will be open to the public from February 24 to May 5, 2019.
Works provided courtesy of the Zofia Rydet Foundation in Krakow, Poland.
Exhibition coordinator: Elżbieta Skromak
