Meeting with portrait painter Dorota “Oza” Karecka at Olivia Sky Club

Olivia Business Centre actively supports the development of talents in various disciplines and tries to bring the inhabitants of Trimaist closer to people who create interesting projects in our metropolis. On Thursday, July 26 at At 6:00 p.m. in Olivia Sky Club, there was a meeting with the photographer Dorota Oza Karecka, the author of the #ZGDYNI series photos, in which the artist immortalized people creating the atmosphere of ordinary-extraordinary Gdynia.

Dorota Karecka is primarily a lover of medium-format analogue photography and noble techniques. Portraitist. He does not part with Holga. He has a weakness for old German cameras that smell like attics and expired films. In her work, she uses historical photographic techniques, which allows her to influence photographs at every stage of their creation. For several years she photographed the streets of London, but finally returned to her beloved Gdynia.

The event – organised as part of the Olivia Cooltura project – was accompanied by an exhibition of the portraitist’s works. Among the audience of the meeting were m.in. portrayed people, photographers, family and friends of the artist. In a nearly hour-long conversation with the artist, Monika Bogdanowicz from Olivia took up the threads of the beginnings of the artist’s career development, asked about the motivation behind the decision to choose the use of historical photographic techniques, and also inquired how it is possible to capture the authenticity and convey the soul of the protagonists of the photographs.

Dorota talked about the people who create the character of “her beloved city” and whom she so subtly depicted in her photographs. The characters chosen by Dorota Karecka are surprisingly unobvious, because Oza herself is unique. During the meeting, the artist attempted to answer the question about the origin of the unique atmosphere of Gdynia – a city with a magnetic power to attract individualists and globetrotters. In interaction with the participants of the meeting, we heard the history of the creation of the photographs, the choice of places where they were taken and other characteristic details of the works presented at the vernissage. Among them were: Przemek Dyakowski, Zbyszek Rybak, Joanna Duda, Beata Kukułka.

Another dream of the artist is to choose exceptional people in a different original place. One of the ideas is to undertake such an artistic exploration in Oliwa.

Dorota Karecka and Diana Lenart talked about the beginnings and creation of the Gdynia-based Halo Kultura association, which was born out of the need to bring together local artists into a single, strong and causative whole. Halo Kultura strives to create a co-working space for creative circles in Gdynia, where, in addition to working on new projects, they will jointly organize open cultural events: exhibitions, workshops, concerts, performances, lectures.

– Behind each project there is always a specific person, their passion, creativity, sensitivity and commitment. Dorota Oza Karecka is #ZGDYNI behind the exhibition. In Olivia, a meeting place located in the very center of the metropolis, we want to show the people who create our local identity and their original projects. We host Gdynia in Gdansk, but in our opinion, together we create one, absolutely unique place – emphasizes Monika Bogdanowicz.

We would like to thank all guests and partners of the event for their support and great atmosphere during the meeting. We wish Dorota Karecka further development of her passion and further series of portraits!

Photos from the exhibition “from Gdynia” will be on display, m.in. in the lobby of Olivia Star from Monday, July 30, 2018.

Main photo: Karol Makurat – Tarakum Photography
Gallery: Dariusz Giers – RADDAR