UFFP met polish artist photographer Kinga Wrona at the 22nd edition of Festival Autumnales in France. The long awaited event took place last fall in Beauvais. An opportunity for us to discover the visions and specific creative worlds in many colors shapes and personnal journeys. Latin America, Europe, many artists came from different places and background. Each of them had a story of occupation, disoccupation, destruction and rebuilding a territory a land a space, emphasizing the importance of belonging, nurturing identities in sometimes challenging situations. The concept of belonging to a land, earth, planet and the way we interact in that same space, was the theme of this edition. Inviting different visions, differents stories, different worlds and generations.
PHOTOS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED COURTESY OF KINGA WRONA
By UFFP editor Feriel Berraies Guigny
Living inhabiting a space is a personnal journey, and Kinga decided to go to Palma a couple of years ago after major eruption that reshaped life and the island itself.
Interview with the artist
Can we predict the eruption when it comes to volcanoes ?
When it comes to volcanos work, practically everything is a mystery. Signals may appear before the eruption, but it is never certain it will occur. It is almost impossible to determine when magma becomes unstable or predict the intensity of eruption.
Volcanoes symbolize force of nature ? Yes its the duality of destructive force and new beginnings it is unpredictable.
Why la Palma, other Volcanoes exist and are active in Europe?
Spanish Canary Island ,la Palma, only exists because of volcanic eruption. It was built as a land long time ago. Forming the archipelago as we know it today, as the Canary Islands. In 2021, during 85 days the volcano Cumbre Vieja on La Palma has been active. The eruption was the longest in the history of the island and the most destructive of last century in Europe.
What was the impact on the locals?
The volcano, which has been declared extinct, came into light changing the island and people’s lives irreversibly at the same time demonstrating man’s powerlessness against element. I wasFascinated by this natural phenomenon.
This event reshaped human’s behavior towards life itself?
Yes i was interested to examine the impact on life habits of the locals. Specifically, the relationship of the island’s inhabitants with the environment and the volcano itself. I traveled to la Palma in 2022 twice. During my trips, I experienced how extremely close and inseparable was the relationship between men and nature.
An interesting combination indeed ? yes, human beeigns and nature have a strong bond, at the same time fragile and dependent. As if nature would take back its power. An environment that would impose its own rules, taking power again, shaping and managing men ties.
Nature teach us great lessons? indeed, i was interested to understand to what extent, the approach of life changes, when facing a climate change or climate disaster. The locals would approach with much more wisdom and humility the elements surrounding them.
What I found unique was the approach to life of the local habitants of the island and their greaLiving here on a volcanic island is a love hate relationship » I heard.
Kinga Wrona Bio
Kinga Wrona is a Polish documentary photographer whose works explores the relationship between human and nature in aspect of climate change, natural disasters or environmental degradation. She is an artist selected as finalist of Paris Photo Carte Blanche in 2024 and nominated to FUTURES (emerging photographers platform) in 2023. Her works have been exhibited, among others, during Festival Circulacion (S) 2023 (Paris, France); HeadON Festival 2024 (Sydney, Australia); Outside the walls, Paris Metro Stations, France,2023; Daegu Photo Biennale, 2023 (South Korea); Kranj Foto Festival 2024 (Kranj, Slovenia).; „A sense of place”, Bpart Gallery 2023, (Berlin, Germany).
She has published among others in Revue EPIC, Polka magazine (online), PUBLICO (online), TAGEBUCH, The Calvert Journal, National Geographic Polska and New York Post.
