• English
  • Polski

Adrian Wykrota focuses on documenting and analyzing phenomena at the intersection of documentary, visual arts, sociology, and popular culture. He is most interested in photography as a language of communication.

BIO

Documentary photographer and curator specializing in visual education. He is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Pedagogy and Fine Arts at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and the initiator and co-founder of the Pix.house Foundation. He holds both MA and PhD degrees from the Institute of Creative Photography at the Silesian University in Opava (Czech Republic), as well as degrees in Cultural Studies/Media Studies and English Philology from Poznań. He is a recipient of scholarships from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, ZAiKS, the Marshal of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, and the City of Poznań. A participant in Magnum Photos workshops in Birmingham and Belfast, he was selected by the agency in 2014 as one of the “Top 30 Under 30” photographers worldwide. He is a winner and finalist of numerous competitions, including IPA, Grand Press Photo, BZWBK Press Photo, Lumix Festival, Leica Street Photo, and Photographer of the Year. He has presented his work at 18 solo and 40 group exhibitions in Poland and abroad. His book NIE – NOT was included in the artist’s book collection at the Tate Modern in London (curated by Martin Parr). In 2024, his publication Sztuka poza sztuką? Fotografia dokumentalna w Polsce (Art Beyond Art? Documentary Photography in Poland) won the main prize in the competition for the Best Popular Science Book.

BOOKS / Monographs
  • Sztuka poza sztuką? Fotografia dokumentalna w Polsce (Art Beyond Art? Documentary Photography in Poland) | PIX.HOUSE | 2023
  • Nic Ciekawego (Nothing Interesting) | PIX.HOUSE | 2022
  • NIE / NOT | PIX.HOUSE | 2018
BOOKS / Collective Publications
  • Photo editing and photography for the Uniwersytet Zaangażowany (Engaged University) publication series | Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań | 2018/19, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
  • Texts, editing, and curation of publications summarizing the Mój Fyrtel / Moja Przestrzeń documentary workshops | Pix.house | 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
  • Curatorial and editorial supervision of books by finalists of the Pix.house Talent of the Year competition: Life Goes On by Jan Jurczak (2019), Rafa by Alicja Wróblewska (2020), plaintext by Marta Bogdańska (2021), Silent Racism by Julia Klewaniec (2022), Wrócę jutro by Magda Benda (2023), 0169-8629 5223-01750 by Karol Szymkowiak (2024), Wyojcowanie by Joanna Tyczyńska (2025)
  • Curatorial and editorial supervision of books published by Pix.house, including: Forever Mine by Anna Bedyńska and Kurz (Dust) by Mariusz Forecki
  • Essays included in books:
  • Kurz by Mariusz Forecki | Pix.house | 2022
  • Życie alternatywne. Amatorzy i zawodowcy w fotografii poznańskiej od 1839 do 1945 roku (Alternative Life. Amateurs and Professionals in Poznań Photography from 1839 to 1945) | Pix.house | 2022
  • Kruche medium. Rozmowy o fotografii. Część druga (Fragile Medium. Conversations on Photography. Part Two) by Maciej Frąckowiak | Pix.house | 2019
  • Photography series “Jaka piękna katastrofa/ZMIANY” (“What a Beautiful Catastrophe/CHANGES”) published in 12 issues of Pismo Magazine | 2025
  • Photograph published on the cover of: Photography as Social Transformation. How the Idea of Change Helps Us to Understand the Taking, Sharing, and Debating of Images by Maciej Frąckowiak | Routledge | 2025
  • Photograph published in: (Nie)opowiedziane / (UN)told | Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk | 2024
  • Photographs published in: Polska i Polacy (Poland and the Poles) | Press | 2016
  • Photographs published in: Wielkopolska / Teraz (Greater Poland / Now) | ZPAF OW | 2016
  • Photographs published in: THEY SAID YES | PhotoArt Centrum | 2015
SOLO AND GROUP EXHIBITIONS, ARTIST PRESENTATIONS

2025

  • 35 Years of the Institute of Creative Photography (ITF), Silesian University in Opava – group exhibition – Dům umění Opava – Czech Republic
  • NIE_KRAJOBRAZY (NO_LANDSCAPES) – solo exhibition – Akumulacje 2025 – Kalisz, Poland
  • Formuły na przejście (Formulas for Transition) – group exhibition – Within Sopot Festival – Sopot, Poland
  • Tridsaťpäť / Thirty-Five – group exhibition – Month of Photography Festival – Bratislava, Slovakia
  • Three and a Half Decades of the Institute of Creative Photography (ITF), Silesian University in Opava – group exhibition – BWA Gallery – Bielsko Biała, Poland

2024

  • Dear Eastern Europe – group exhibition – Athens Photo Festival – Greece
  • Paper Photo. Prolog – group exhibition – Pusta Gallery – Katowice, Poland
  • POLISH PHOTO BRUNCH À ARLES – group exhibition – Arles, France
  • Photo Publication of the Year 2024 Exhibition – group exhibition – Fotofestiwal – Łódź, Poland
  • Make me happy – Schimmel – group exhibition – Jan Tarasin Art Gallery – Kalisz, Poland
  • Odbicie (Reflection) – group exhibition – 7th Ireneusz Zjeżdżałka Photography Festival: “In the Face of Water” – WPA UAM – Kalisz, Poland
  • Wielkopolska DOC 2024 – group exhibition – CK ZAMEK Culture Centre – Poznań, Poland

2023

  • (Nie)opowiedziane / (Un)told – group exhibition – Armoury of Art (Zbrojownia Sztuki) – Gdańsk, Poland
  • Wielkopolska Doc – group exhibition – Avenida – Poznań, Poland
  • SHIFT- ING FOCUS – group exhibition – Mīna Art Space – Košice, Slovakia
  • Polish Photo Brunch at Paris Photo – group exhibition – Polish Institute – Paris, France
  • A-Kumulacje 2023, Kalisz Art Biennale – group exhibition – Jan Tarasin Art Gallery – Kalisz, Poland
  • Między nami dobrze jest (It’s Good Between Us) – group exhibition – FOTO-GEN Gallery – Wrocław, Poland

2022

  • Jaka piękna katastrofa (What a Beautiful Catastrophe) – solo exhibition – BWA Art Gallery – Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, Poland
  • Między nami dobrze jest (It’s Good Between Us) – group exhibition – Stary Browar / Słodownia +1 – Poznań, Poland
  • Wspólna Opawa (Common Opava) – group exhibition – Fotofestiwal – Łódź, Poland
  • Jaka piękna katastrofa (What a Beautiful Catastrophe) – solo exhibition – Pix.house – Poznań, Poland

2021

  • 30+, 30 Years of the Institute of Creative Photography – group exhibition – Dům umění Opava – Czech Republic
  • The Opava School of Photography, 30 Years of the Institute of Creative Photography – group exhibition – Gallery of Contemporary Art (GSW) – Opole, Poland
  • Three Decades. Institute of Creative Photography – group exhibition – BWA Contemporary Art Gallery – Katowice, Poland

2020

  • ITF Three Decades – group exhibition – House of the Black Madonna, Museum of Decorative Arts – Prague, Czech Republic
  • ITF Three Decades – group exhibition – House of Arts – Bratislava, Slovakia
  • Obserwacje (Observations) – solo exhibition – Prapremier Festival, Polish Theatre – Bydgoszcz, Poland
  • Interferencje (Interferences) – solo exhibition – Intimate Gallery, Silesian Library – Katowice, Poland

2019

  • ITF Three Decades – group exhibition – House of the Black Madonna, Museum of Decorative Arts – Prague, Czech Republic
  • ITF Three Decades – group exhibition – House of Arts – Bratislava, Slovakia
  • Visegrád – 30 Years After the Fall of the Berlin Wall – group exhibition – Off Festival Bratislava – Slovakia
  • NIE (NOT) – solo exhibition – Białystok Interphoto Festival – Poland
  • NIE (NOT) – solo exhibition – FOPA Gallery – Żyrardów, Poland
  • NIE (NOT) – group exhibition – Les Rencontres d’Arles – Arles, France
  • Institute of Creative Photography (ITF) – group exhibition – Prague Photo – Czech Republic
  • Freedom – Chris Niedenthal and the Young Generation of Photographers – group exhibition – Duży Pokój Studio – Warsaw, Poland
  • NIE (NOT) – group exhibition – Paperlust Photobook Fest – Kraków, Poland
  • NIE (NOT) – group exhibition – Athens Photo Festival – Athens, Greece
  • NIE (NOT) – solo exhibition – Rybnik Photography Festival – Rybnik, Poland
  • NIE (NOT) – solo exhibition – Pix.house Gallery – Poznań, Poland
  • Made in Opava – group exhibition – Museum of the History of Katowice – Poland

2017

  • Niepozowane – UNPOSED – group exhibition – FOTO-GEN Gallery – Wrocław, Poland
  • Niepozowane – UNPOSED – group exhibition – Leica Gallery Warsaw – Poland
  • Wielkopolska Press Photo 2016 – group exhibition – Poznań, Poland

2016

  • 5 zmysłów (5 Senses) – group exhibition – Poznań, Poland
  • UNPOSED – group exhibition – Lublin, Poland
  • Ekstremalna Droga Krzyżowa (Extreme Way of the Cross) – Kaunas Photo – solo exhibition – Kaunas, Lithuania
  • Powrót (Return) – Kaunas Photo – solo exhibition – Kaunas, Lithuania
  • Wielkopolska Teraz (Wielkopolska Now) – PIX.HOUSE – group exhibition – Poznań, Poland
  • Ekstremalna Droga Krzyżowa (Extreme Way of the Cross) – DSH (History Meeting House) – group exhibition – Warsaw, Poland

2015

  • Wedding, czyli nowoczesne polskie wesele (Wedding, or the Modern Polish Wedding) – solo exhibition – Arsenal Gallery – Poznań, Poland
  • Powrót (Return) – Slideluck Bangladesh – Dhaka
  • Powrót (Return) – project presentation at the House of Lords – London, UK
  • Modern World – Adrian Wykrota, Damian Chrobak – solo exhibition – Ney Gallery – Warsaw, Poland
  • Wielkopolska Press Photo 2014 – group exhibition – Poznań, Poland
  • Powrót (Return) – group exhibition – Slideluck Warsaw – Poland
  • Powrót (Return) – solo exhibition – Obserwacja Gallery – Warsaw, Poland
  • Powrót (Return) – solo exhibition – Barka Foundation – Poznań, Poland

2014

  • 4th Leica Street Photo – group exhibition – Warsaw, Poland
  • Eastreet II – group exhibition – Lublin, Poland
  • Grand Press Photo 2014 – group exhibition – Nationwide (Poland)
  • Lumix Festival For Young Photojournalism 2014 – solo exhibition – Hannover, Germany
  • Top 30 under 30 – Magnum Photos – group exhibition – Birmingham, UK
  • Miasto Osobiste (Personal City) – solo exhibition (outdoor) – Poznań, Poland

2013

  • Eastreet I – group exhibition – Lublin, Poland
  • Interphoto Photo Festival – group exhibition – Białystok, Poland
  • 3rd Leica Street Photo – group exhibition – Leica Gallery Warsaw – Poland

2012

  • #NaZewnatrz (#Outdoors) | Street photography – group exhibition – Poznań, Poland
  • OKFS – group exhibition – Nationwide (Poland)
  • 2nd Leica Street Photo – group exhibition – Leica Gallery Warsaw – Poland
  • Fotodialog – solo exhibition – Września, Poland
  • Moja Wielkopolska 2012 – group exhibition – Poznań, Poland
  • Wielkopolska Press Photo 2012 – group exhibition – Poznań, Poland

2011

  • Amnesty International Award “Human Rights in the Lens” – group exhibition – Nationwide (Poland)
  • Poznań moimi oczami (Poznań Through My Eyes) – solo exhibition – Pożegnanie z Afryką – Poznań, Poland
SELECTED AWARDS AND HONORS
  • Congratulatory Letter from the Mayor of Kalisz – distinction for promoting culture
  • Best Popular Science Book Award (Mayor of Poznań Award) – Main Prize for the book Sztuka poza sztuką? (Art Beyond Art?)
  • Fotopolis Plebiscite – Nomination for Photographic Publication of the Year for the book Sztuka poza sztuką? (Art Beyond Art?)
  • Wielkopolska DOC – Honorable Mention
  • Photojournalist of the Year 2016 – Nomination
  • Wielkopolska Press Photo 2016 – Main Prize and two 2nd Prizes
  • Grand Press Photo 2015 – Nomination
  • BZWBK PRESS PHOTO 2015 – 3rd Place in the Culture category
  • Wielkopolska Press Photo 2014 – Grand Prix
  • IPA (International Photography Awards) 2014 – Traditions and Culture – Honorable Mention
  • Slideluck Warsaw 2014 – Finalist, doc! photo magazine Award
  • 4th Leica Street Photo – Finalist
  • Grand Press Photo 2014 – 1st Prize in the “Daily Life” category
  • Lumix Festival For Young Photojournalism 2014 – Finalist
  • Top 30 Under 30 – Magnum Photos and The Photography Show – Finalist
  • Wielkopolska Press Photo 2013 – three Honorable Mentions
  • IPA (International Photography Awards) 2013 – DEEPER PERSPECTIVE – Honorable Mention
  • 3rd Leica Street Photo – Finalist
  • Magnum Showcase – Honorable Mention
  • Magnum Professional Practice: Belfast – ideastap.com brief – Winner
  • PUOT EXPO 2013 – Honorable Mention
  • Instax Day FujiFilm Poland – 1st Place
  • National Student Photography Competition (OKFS) 2013 – 3rd Place (Wielkopolska region), 2nd Place (National edition)
  • Discover Europe / Pan-European Photo Contest – 1st Place in the “Citizen of Europe” category
  • National Student Photography Competition (OKFS) 2012 – 1st Place (Wielkopolska region), 2nd Place (National edition)
  • 2nd Leica Street Photo – Finalist
  • Wielkopolska Press Photo 2012 – 1st Prize in the Photo Stories category
  • Amnesty International Award “Human Rights in the Lens” – Honorable Mention
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

ORGANIZATIONAL AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES

Initiator, co-founder, and board member of the PIX.HOUSE Foundation.
Since 2015, operating as a “place for photography,” we have organized over 70 exhibitions, presenting the work of a wide range of artists from 15 countries. We have prepared exhibitions for renowned creators such as Martin Parr, Rimaldas Vikšraitis, Mayumi Suzuki, Vladimír Birgus, the Sputnik Photos collective, Kuba Dąbrowski, Ieva Austinskaitė, Damian Chrobak, Ewa Meissner, Karol Grygoruk, Piotr Zbierski, and Emilia Martin. We also organize numerous group and solo exhibitions for debuting artists, including diploma defenses for art university students and exhibitions for art high school students. Over 150 open meetings and discussions have been held, helping to develop strategies for the advancement of the photographic medium and supporting visual and social education. Key elements of our activities also include the Talent of the Year competition for young creators, the Mój Fyrtel (My Neighborhood) documentary workshops, and the meeting space created by the XPRINT Festival.

Publishing projects are a significant pillar of Pix.house’s activities.
To date, we have released over 35 non-commercial publications. Our books have been awarded and recognized in nearly all major art book competitions, including: Picture of the Year International (POYi) (Photography Book of the Year), Paris Photo, Project of the Year / STGU, Polish Graphic Design Awards, the International Book Fair in Kraków, and festivals in Bratislava, Athens, Madrid, Grand Press Photo, and the Photographic Publication of the Year. Thanks to cooperation with institutions across Poland and Europe, our publications enter both Polish and international art circulation, promoting not only the authors but also Polish photography. Pix.house books are included in the collections of institutions such as the Tate Modern Gallery in London, the National Gallery in Prague, the Central European House of Photography in Bratislava, and the Polish Institutes in Paris and Tbilisi.

Our activities rely on cooperation with numerous institutions in Poland and Europe, including:
Arsenal Municipal Gallery, University of the Arts Poznań (UAP), Adam Mickiewicz University (UAM), Rodríguez Gallery, Krakow Photomonth, Fotofestiwal Łódź, Archeology of Photography Foundation, Jednostka Gallery, Silesian Library, Institute of Creative Photography (Czech Republic), Kaunas Photo and Lietuvos fotomenininkų sąjungos (Lithuania), Photo Art Centrum Košice (Slovakia), and Hochschule Hannover (Germany).

 

EDUCATIONAL AND COORDINATION ACTIVITIES

  • Initiator, co-author, and coordinator of over a dozen grants for cultural and social activities. Implementation of projects co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the National Centre for Culture, the Batory Foundation, the City of Poznań, and the Marshal’s Office of the Greater Poland Voivodeship.
  • Faculty member at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (UAM) – co-running the Photography Studio at the Faculty of Pedagogy and Fine Arts, as well as teaching Photography in New Media, Advertising Photography, and Digital Photography at the Faculty of Political Science and Journalism.
  • Lecturer at the School of Documentary.
  • Lecturer conducting photography workshops for people with disabilities (5 Senses Project) and those at risk of social exclusion (Street Newspaper Circle).
  • Initiator of the Wielkopolska Teraz (Greater Poland Now) archive.
  • Co-founder and lecturer at the FaceToFace photography school.

 

CURATORIAL ACTIVITIES

Selected Exhibitions:

  • Kurz (Dust) | Mariusz Forecki
  • Forever Mine | Anna Bedyńska
  • Fearless Flowers | Marcin T. Józefiak
  • Cały dotąd niedostrzegany gwar świata (All the Hitherto Unnoticed Bustle of the World) | Anka Jaworska
  • Wycinek rzeczywistości (A Slice of Reality) | Damian Chrobak
  • The blue of the far distance | Emilia Martin
  • THE SCARS / BLIZNY | Jędrzej Nowicki
  • Odbicie (Reflection) | 7th Ireneusz Zjeżdżałka Photography Festival

Selected Festivals/Biennials:

  • Akumulacje – Kalisz Art Biennale (2025)
  • XPRINT (2020 – 2025)

 

ARTICLES AND DISCUSSIONS ON PHOTOGRAPHY
Interviews, reviews, and texts for the Kultura u Podstaw portal.

 

SCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTS

  • Artistic Scholarship of the City of Poznań – 2022
  • Scholarship from the ZAiKS Creativity Promotion Fund – 2022
  • Scholarship SU-STIP/31427/2022/97415/FPF – Silesian University in Opava – 2022
  • Scholarship of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage – 2017
  • Scholarship for Young Creators of the City of Poznań – 2015
  • Scholarship of the Marshal of the Greater Poland Voivodeship (in the field of culture) – 2014

 

JURY MEMBERSHIP AND PORTFOLIO REVIEWS
Jury member: including Photographic Publication of the Year, Talent of the Year.

Portfolio reviewer: including Photo Match, Kaunas Photo.

 

PHOTOGRAPHIC AND COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY

  • Staff Photographer / Marketing Center of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań – realization of photo shoots for Życie Uniwersyteckie and marketing purposes (2018 – 2024).
  • Photojournalist for Polska Press / Głos Wielkopolski and REPORTER Agency (2015 – 2018).
  • Founder of the commercial photographic agency Retrofokus (2010 – 2015).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION – SELECTED LINKS TO INTERVIEWS, REVIEWS, AND ARTICLES
  • Adrian Wykrota Recognized by Magnum Photos [Adrian Wykrota doceniony przez Agencję Magnum] | Culture.pl
  • In His View, Documentary Photography is a Mirror of Human Life [Jego zdaniem fotografia dokumentalna to zwierciadło ludzkiego życia] | Radio Poznań
  • Adrian Wykrota: I Keep a Cool Head [Adrian Wykrota: mam chłodną głowę] || Polskie Radio Czwórka
  • The Technique of Being In-Between. A Conversation with Adrian Wykrota [Technika bycia pomiędzy. Rozmowa Macieja Frąckowiaka z Adrianem Wykrotą] | Czas kultury
  • Adrian Wykrota: “It Saddens Me That We Can No Longer Talk to Each Other, Even Though Poland Is Such a Great Country” [Adrian Wykrota: “Przykro mi, że już nie umiemy rozmawiać, a Polska to przecież taki fajny kraj”] | Fotopolis
  • “Art Beyond Art?” – A Compendium of Polish Documentary Photography [“Sztuka poza sztuką?” – kompendium wiedzy o polskiej fotografii dokumentalnej]| Fotopolis
  • I’m All Ears Podcast #188 – Adrian Wykrota and Documentary Photography [Zamieniam się w słuch #188 – Adrian Wykrota i fotografia dokumentalna] | Kultura u Podstaw
  • Photographic Sincerity [Fotograficzna szczerość] | kulturapoznan.pl
  • Trusting Photography [Zaufać fotografii]| DYNKS