Andrzej Jerzy Lech
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Andrzej Jerzy Lech - Born January 22, 1955 in Wrocław, Poland, is a Polish artist, photographer.
In the years 1981-1984 hi studied at the Faculty of Fine Art Photography at the School of Visual Arts in Ostrava, the Czech Republic, in the workshop of Borek Sousedik. In 1983 hi became known as the main creator of the elementary photography movement, related to the minimalist stance. His exhibit from the same year, titled "60 Gates", was the official proclamation of this program. Until 1987 hi exhibited at the "Foto-Medium-Art" Gallery in Wrocław, Poland, inspiring this concept.
From 1979 to 1987 hi ran a private photography gallery called "Galeria w drodze" ("On The Way Gallery") in Opole, Poland, displaying his friends’ and his work.
He formulated several photographic cycles and series of small format photographs, close-ups of objects, and fragments of landscape which have a metaphorical meaning, included in the "Warsaw, Amsterdam, New York" and "The 1912 Swiss Calendar" exhibits. In 1987 hi participated in the exhibition "Preis fuer junge europaeische Fotografen" ("Award for Young European Photographers") in Frankfurt, Germany.
In 1988 and 1989 hi participated as one of the ten artists in the show titled "Polish Perceptions - Ten Contemporary Photographers, 1977-1988" at the Collins Gallery, Glasgow, Scotland, the Aberdeen Art Gallery, Aberdeen, Scotland, and Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery, Fife, Scotland.
In 1994 he collaborated in the AIDS benefit auction "Sunday by the Bay" in Bellport, Long Island, New York. In the same year he participated in "The Nurturing Spirit", a group show to benefit The Evelyn H. Launder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York.
In 1997 he won the competition for one-person show in the Bergen Museum of Art and Science in Paramus, New Jersey. In 1998 he took part in the multi-image photographic exhibition "Beyond Words", produced in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Hasselblad. The premiere showcased at the "Photokina '98" in Cologne, Germany (September 1998) then at the "PhotoPlus East Exhibition" in New York, New York (October 1998).
In the year 2000 his solo show, "The 1912 Swiss Calendar", opened during the 8th International Month of Photography "FotoFest" in Houston, Texas.
In 2001 eight of his photographs were printed in the book "Architectural Photography", published by RotoVision Visual Arts Books Publisher, Hoven, England.
In 2002 hi was invited, together with several other photographers, to take part in the prestigious exhibition “Around Decade – Polish Photography of the 90s”, which took place in the Museum of Art in Łódź, Poland and the national Museum in Wrocław, Poland.
In the same year, hi have shown photographs from a work in progress entitled “Travel Journal – America” in several galleries in Poland.
In May of 2002 hi took part in a large exhibition, “The Photographic Landscapes of Jersey City”, which was organized by Pro Arts in the Jersey City Public Library.
On September 11, 2002, his multi-media show dedicated to the WTC was shown simultaneously in 14 galleries in Poland, in Ostrava, the Czech Republic and in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was comprised of 46 photographs taken before the tragic event, on 09.11.2001 and in its aftermath. The show was accompanied by a published booklet.
In the Fall of 2002, hi took part in several exhibitions. They are “The End of Life Show” (The Irving Goldman Community Art Gallery, Jersey City, NJ), “Forms of Matter: Artists’ Views of Nature” (Victory Hall, Jersey City, NJ), Central New Jersey Railroad Festival (by invitation, CNJ Railroad Terminal in Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ) and the Jersey City Artists Studio Tour.
In March 2003 hi showed in Poland his exhibition titled “60 Gates” again, exactly 20 years after the original exhibition date.
Hi was invited by an international panel of judges to participate in Biennale of Contemporary Art in Florence www.artestudio.net, Italy, which took place in December of 2003.
Hi is currently working on a few photographic projects: "Travel Journal - America", "Travel Journal - Poland" and "The New York Bay Photography Project".
His photographs are in the permanent public collections of the Museum of Modern Art in Łódź, Poland, the National Museum in Wrocław, Poland, Mala Galeria in Warsaw, Poland, Exchange Gallery in Łódź, Poland, BWA in Legnica, Poland, BWA in Jelenia Góra, Poland, Icon Pictures in New York, New York, and in many private collections.
