Agata Grzybowska (b. 1984) photojournalist based in Warsaw. Graduated from the Direction of Photography at the Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School in Lodz.
She received Young Poland 2017 – Polish Ministry of Culture grant for young artists. She realized her first book „9 Gates of No Return” by BLOW UP PRESS in 2017, for which she won many awards (Grand Press Photo, MFIA).In March 2017 she realized, together with Bartek Wasik and Robert Migas, a project „Kocham Lublin Szanuje. Harmony of the city”. The project was commissioned by the Teatr Stary in Lublin on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of Lublin city.
In 2015 her photography taken during „Black Thursday” in Kiev won The Picture of The Year 2015 at BZ WBK PRESS FOTO Competition. She also won the first prize for the single picture in the category Events at the same competition. In 2013 she won second prize in the category Photocast, for her work "Kill the gay" at the Grand Press Photo Competition. The same year, together with writer Wojciech Karpieszuk, Grzybowska won the Observer Prize at Student Journalism Competition MediaTory.
Her works have been nominated for many prestigious awards, including the Grand Press Photo (2014) and Amnesty International (2013).
Grzybowska travels across the world depicting people in difficult, often life-threatening situations. She has worked in Syria, Uganda, India, Egypt, Romania, and Ukraine. While working, her principle is to get as close as possible to the human being in the center of the story.
Her work has been shown at Royal Castle in Warsaw, courtyard President’s Palace, Wroclaw Contemporary Museum, European Solidarity Centre in Gdansk, The Wilson Shaft Gallery in Katowice, The Old Brewery in Poznan, The Galery FF - Forum Of Photography in Lodz, Romanian Cultural Institute in Bucharest.
TEXTS
9 Photos That Capture a Year of Pain—and Resilience—in Ukraine - Sanya Mansoor / TIME
Każdy ma prawo do swojej opowieści - Michał Dąbrowski / Culture.pl
Jak sfotografować wojnę - Basia Czyżewska / Vogue.pl
Dom, czyli opowieść o marzeniach - Basia Czyżewska / Vogue.pl
Człowiek na granicy - Marta Wroniszewska / Vogue.pl
AWARDS, SHORTLISTS AND GRANTS
2018 - MOSCOW INTERNATIONAL FOTO AWARDS (MIFA) - SILVER IN BOOK PEOPLE - ”9 GATES OF NO RETURN” - BLOW UP PRESS
2018 - GRAND PRESS PHOTO THE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 - ”9 GATES OF NO RETURN” - BLOW UP PRESS
2018 - GRAND PRESS PHOTO - SHORTLISTED IN CATEGORY EVENTS
2018 - PHotoESPAÑA 2018 - SHORTLISTED FOR THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD IN THE INTERNATIONAL CATEGORY
2018 - MONTH OF PHOTOGRAPHY LOS ANGELES (MOPLA) - OFFICIAL SELECTION BOOK EXHIBITION - ”9 GATES OF NO RETURN” - BLOW UP PRESS
2017- STRZAŁY 2017 - NOMINATION IN LUBLIN CULTURAL EVENT AWARD - „KOCHAM LUBLIN SZANUJE. HARMONY OF THE CITY
2017 - PLEBISCITE FOTOPOLIS & DIGITAL CAMERA - PHOTOBOOK OF THE YEAR - ”9 GATES OF NO RETURN” - BLOW UP PRESS
2017 - YOUNG POLISH 2017 - POLISH MINISTRY OF CULTURE GRANT FOR YOUNG ARTIST
2015 - BZ WBK PRESS PHOTO 2015 - PICTURE OF THE YEAR 2015
2015 - BZ WBK PRESS PHOTO 2015 - 1ST PRIZE IN CATEGORY GENERAL NEWS
2014 – GRAND PRESS PHOTO -NOMINATION IN CATEGORY EVENTS
2013 – GRAND PRESS PHOTO - 2ND PRIZE IN PHOTOCAST CATEGORY FOR „KILL THE GAY”
2013 – AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL’13 - HONORABLE MENTION
2013 – MEDIATORY STUDENT JOURNALISM AWARDS - „OBSERVER PRIZE”
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
2018 - SALON OF PHOTOGRAPHY: VOLUMES AND OTHER BIRDS ALIKE - group show of the Lodz Film School’s students and graduates - Art Book Museum in Lodz
2018 - SALON OF PHOTOGRAPHY: SALON - group show of the Lodz Film School’s teachers, students and graduates - OÅ›rodek Propaganda Sztuki in Lodz
2018 - „9 GATES OF NO RETURN” - solo show during Cracow Photo Month, curator Iris Sikking
2018 - SOUND PHOTO INSTALLATION - Targi Press Photo EXPO in Warsaw
2017 - inPRO Collective - exhibition during Photography Festival in Ostroleka
2016 - FORGOTTEN BY WORLD - exhibition documenting the conflict in eastern Ukraine - European Solidarity Centre in Gdansk
2015 - FORGOTTEN BY WORLD - exhibition documenting the conflict in eastern Ukraine - Royal Castle in Warsaw
2015 - ROOTS & FRUITS - Wroclaw Contemporary Museum during TIFF FESTIVAL
2015 - Collective exhibition BZ WBK Press Photo in The Wilson Shaft Gallery in Katowice
2015 - Collective exhibition BZ WBK Press Photo in The Old Brewery in Poznan
2015 - Collective exhibition BZ WBK Press Photo in the Galery FF - Forum Of Photography in Lodz
2015 - Maidan - collective exhibition on the anniversary of Maidan in Presidential Palace in Warsaw
2014 - Screening of photocast ’Record’ which is a documentation of revolution in Kiev during the "Container Freedom" project in different cities of Polish
2013 - Collective exhibition Grand Press Photo 2013 in Warsaw
2010 - IN/OUT Exhibition of PWSFTViT diploma works in the Fabrystrefa Gallery in Lodz
2010 - COME ON! COME CLOSER! Exhibition of the best works of the PWSFTViT photography department students held in the Art Propaganda Centre in Lodz
2009 - Romania, a Country Of Friendly People - exhibition in the Romanian Cultural Institute in Bucharest
2009 - FREED - exhibition during the Multimedia Festival - The Art of the Document, presented at the Royal Route in Warsaw