ABOUT SHOWOFF
The ShowOFF Section, devoted to premiering projects by artists making their debut, is one of the main parts of the Krakow Photomonth Festival’s programme. By participating in the ShowOFF Section, emerging artists have the opportunity to work with recognised specialists in the field of visual arts, including the invited curators and festival organisers helping to guide, oversee and promote their projects.
How the Competition Works
The competition has an open format. Individuals may submit up to two photography or film and video projects that have never been presented, in any form, including in group exhibitions, at a leading gallery or cultural institution. The ShowOFF curatorial team will select the six most interesting projects. The list of winners will be announced in late January. Immediately after the announcement, the work of implementing the winning projects in exhibition form will begin. Each project will be presented as a solo exhibition during Krakow Photomonth 2022, the festival’s 20th edition. Invited specialists individually guide participants through all stages of the artistic project and exhibition – from concept development and editing of material, to the selection of formats, papers, and frames, to the drafting and fine-tuning of texts accompanying the exhibition, and finally to the arrangement of work within the exhibition space.
Our Goals
We are constantly seeking new ways to build relationships between experienced creators and those making their debuts, through which we can all gain a fresh perspective on the field of visual arts. ShowOFF is not only an open competition that results in professionally prepared individual exhibitions of the winners’ work, but, at the same time, an effort to discover and support emerging artists going forward. As organisers, we provide specialist and promotional support both during and after Photomonth. The specific result of the cooperation between artists and curators is a finalised artistic project ready to be presented to the public in the form of an exhibition; but the greatest enduring value of the competition is undoubtedly the experience of active creative work under the eyes of a mentor.
By participating in the ShowOFF Section, artists join a platform for the exchange of knowledge and experiences at an international scale, and have the opportunity to establish long-term relationships and cooperation with notable representatives of the artistic community. Artists such as Terje Abusdal, Valeria Cherchi, Lena Dobrowolska, Weronika Gęsicka, Oktawian Jurczykowski, Diana Lelonek, Michał Łuczak, Zosia Promińska, Łukasz Rusznica, and Kuba Stępień have all debuted under the wing of ShowOFF. Their careers confirm that professional mentoring at the beginning of their journey into the art world has been an extremely valuable and even essential experience.
