Strike

Glances meet. They are countless and varied: from above, from the side, from behind, prolonged and persistent, fleeting, indifferent, driven by fear, duty, a sense of power, or curiosity. This range is not only a feature of the socio-political spectacle unfolding on the city streets, but it is also inherent to photography itself—photography as the intersection of gazes." This is how Karolina Gembara, one of the three authors contributing to the book and exhibition Strike by Rafał Milach, describes the interplay of perspectives. Strike is a visual record of the protests that began across Poland on October 22, 2020, and continued in various forms in the months that followed. Since 2019, Milach, along with sixteen fellow photographers, has co-created the Archive of Public Protests (APP), a platform documenting social actions and initiatives opposing political decisions made in violation of democratic principles and human rights. Strike is part of this archive. Both the Strike exhibition and book examine one of the most significant formative processes experienced by contemporary Polish society. Strike was published in 2021 by Jednostka Gallery, Warsaw.