2013 Sony World Photography Awards - Student Focus Winner
Natalia Wiernik is a visual artist based in Krakow, Poland. In 2017, she was awarded a PhD in Fine Arts from the Department of Animation, Photography and Digital Media at Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Art in Krakow. She also works at ASP as a lecturer. In her artistic practice, she analyzed issues related to the broadly defined concept of identity and its formation in the process of remembering, site-specific activities, and in the perspective of interpersonal relations at the level of family and society, e.g. in cultivated traditions. She has received a number of prizes, including the Sony World Photography Awards. She was the scholarship holder of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the winner of the „Young Poland” scholarship and the Creative Scholarship of the City of Krakow.
She is the author of many artistic projects, the most recognized: The Protagonists, a photographic document about the family, that has been in development for almost 8 years and expands to include more family portraits every year, Re-collections - where she transformed XVIth century Dutch still lifes into abstract images, and WOTA, monumental works with the appearance of of a woven carpet, where it houses museums collections of individual historical collections.
Her latest project "Wota" was presented as part of the exhibition „The situation has changed - the art of the 20th and 21st centuries” at the National Museum in Krakow.
In 2017, Natalia and photographer Omar Marques prepared an exhibition R E F U G E E S , in which they focused on the topic of migration and the plight of refugees' in contemporary Europe. They are currently working on a book, where together with specialists in various fields they focus on the problem of exclusion in the context of the migration crisis, undertaking a critical analysis of press photography dealing with this area and its impact on public awareness.
Currently her latest works can be seen at the group exhibition "ANIMALIUM" of the FRINGE program of Photomonth in Krakow, in the Gallery of the Jan Matejko in Krakow, until 20 June, 2021.
Selected exhibitions
2021 "ANIMALIUM" – FRINGE program of Photomonth in Krakow, group exhibition, Gallery of the Jan Matejko in Krakow, until 20 June, 2021 / Poland
2019 „All tommorows” TIFF Photography Festival, BWA Wroclaw, curator: Beata Bartecka, group exhibition, Wroclaw, Poland
2019 "The Situation Has Changed. 20th and 21st-Century Polish Art" group exhibition, National Museum in Krakow
2018 "Artsite Residenze Reali" Phanes, group exhibition, Tourin, Italy
2018 "Humble Cats" Photoville, group exhibition, Brooklyn, New York
2018 "In control" group exhibition, Anya Tish Gallery, Houston, Texas
2017 #Heritage – National Museum in Krakow, group exhibition, Natalia Wiernik "Wota", Poland
2017 "Common field" – group exhibition, Forum Przestrzenie, Krakow, Poland
2017 "Refugees. Images of the unseen." – cooperation with Omar Marques, Tytano, Dolnych Młynów 10, Krakow, Poland
2017 La Quatrieme image – Photography Festival, Paris, France
2017 "Cracow in the box" Historical Museum Of The City of Cracow, Cracow, Poland
2016 Solo show: "Salty bread" The Cracow Salt Works Museum at Wieliczka, Poland
2016 "Anomalies/Cognition-recogintion" Gallery ASP Cracow, Poland
2016 Manifesta 11, Performance "What people do for money" with Eleonora Stassi in Cabaret Voltaire, Zürich, Switzerland
2016 Solo show: ”Owned" Migarations Museum, Zürich, Switzerland
2016 "Nuits de projections", Voies off Photography Festival, Arles, France
2016 Solo show: ”Wellfare" Biennale , International FOTO FEST Houston (Texas), USA
2016 Solo show: ”Display" Gallery Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow, Poland
2015 "Less" MUSEUM OF HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY, Cracow
2015 Nord Art Festival, Büdelsdorf, Germany
2015 "FAMILYDOM" fsm Gallery, Florence, Italy
2015 "Break" – Garden of Arts in Lesser Poland, Cracow
2015 Solo show: „Thanksgiving” Pusta Gallery, Katowice, Poland
2014 Powerhouse Arena, Brooklyn, New York, USA
2014 New York Photography Festival, New York, USA
2013 "The Protagonists" General German Consulate in Cracow
2013 Solo show: „Thanksgiving”, Pauza Gallery, Cracow, Poland
2013 International Festival Art&Fashion in Poznań, Poland
2013 Palace of Art in Cracow, Poland
2013 Somerset House, London, UK
2012 „Place” General German Consulate, Poland
2011 „Sein und Schein" Münich, Germany
Awards, selected achievements
Laureate of „Sejsmograf” Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art, Cracow, Poland 2016
Finalist – Voies-off 2016, Photography Festival in Arles, France
Finalist – Photography Festival in Braga – ENCONTROS DA IMAGEM 2015
Shotlisted – Villa Noailles, France – International Festival of Fashion and Photography in Hyeres 2015
Winner – Celest Prize 2015, Visible White, Florence
Winner – PDN Photo Annual 2014, New York
Honourable Mention – International Photography Awards (IPA 2014), Los Angeles
Winner of the One Eyeland Awards 2013, Silver Medal for the series The Protagonists
Finalist – New York Photography Awards 2013
Winner – Sony World Photography Awards 2013, Student Focus, London
Finalist – Sony World Photography Awards 2013 Open Competition – People Category
Semifinalist – international contest Adobe Design Achievments Awards 2013
Laureate of "International Photography Confrontation – Just One Photo", prize from the Foundation "Photography for the future", Poland
2012 September, Cologne – chosen to represent Poland, the Academy of Fine Arts, Photography Workshop at a firts international Artistic Schools' meeting that took place at the biggest photography event – Photokina. The meeting was organised by World Photography Organisation & Sony
Semifinalist – international contest Adobe Design Achievments Awards 2012
2011 May, Munich – chosen to represent the country at an international contest in Munich – Münchner Künstlerhaus Goldener Kentaur "Sein und Schein" 2011. Was nominated for an award and took part in an exhibition in Münich
Schollarships
2020 – Grand holder from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage: „Kultura w sieci”
2015 – Grant holder from Rector of Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow for prominent achievments
2015 – grant holder from the Ministry of Higher Education, Poland
2014 – Grant holder from Rector of Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow for prominent achievments
2014 – grant holder from the National Culture Center and Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (Young Poland), Poland
2014 – Creative Scholarship of the Head of the City of Cracow
2013 – Grant holder from Rector of Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow for prominent achievments
2013 – grant holder from the Ministry of Higher Education, Poland
Selected publications and articles
GUP MAGAZINE: https://gupmagazine.com/interview/theres-only-ambiguity-an-interview-wit...
British Journal of Photography http://www.bjp-online.com/2016/08/understanding-the-value-of-places-with...
NEOmag http://neomag.it/?portfolio=un-talento-emergente-in-cerca-didentita-nata...
FIGARO – special photo-session dedicated for Figaro
L'OBS – portfolio presented in edition 2652 du 3 au 9 september 2015
The Guardian – publication of The Protagonists
BBC – publication on the website
PHOTOGRAPHIE Germany – interview with 10/2015
SLATE MAG – New York, interview David Rosenberg
BOOK DEBUTS 2014 – presented 36 portfolios of the most talented Polish young photographers, The book will get to the world's most important museums, galleries, festivals, publishers, and collectors acting in the area of contemporary photography – Museum of Modern Art (USA), Aperture Foundation (USA), International Center of Photography (USA), Saatchi Gallery (UK), Griffin Photography Museum (USA), Tate Modern (UK), Tokio Metropolitan Museum of Photography (Japan), Maison Européenne de la Photographie (France) and Visa pour l'Image (France).
HUMBLE ARTS FOUNDATION "New Cats in Art Photography" group show nr 41, 2014
FEATURE SHOOT– New York 2014 , article Jenna Garrota
FOTOHITS – Gemany, 2013, interview Dirk Hartmann
Taxidesign – New York 2014, article Jillian Wong