Arek Gola | The other side of the bricks
Arek Gola (* 1972) is a graduate of the Institute of Creative Photography of the Silesian University in Opava. He focuses on documentary photography. He has followed life in Upper Silesia, a region that heavily devastated heavy industry. In Olomouc, first exhibited in 2010, his series Women in the mine, in which he managed to record the contrast of fine female and the harsh working conditions of surface mines.
Series The other side of bricks is focused on everyday life in the Silesian homes that are very modestly furnished. Gola observes energy, effort and enthusiasm which their residents to invest in their improvement and functionality. Thats why the photos are filled with a number of artificial flowers, cheap decorations and often unnecessary items.
Gola works as a photojournalist for Polish newspapers, his photographs are in the collections of museums Katowického, the Municipal Museum in Zabrze and the Olomouc Museum of Art. He is a member of ZPAF (Association of Polish photographers).