Gentle Gaze

This exhibition presents the photographs of three Polish artists Joanna Helander, Tamara Pieńko and Marek Gardulski. These artists, emerging from and creating within very different times and contexts, share a particular gift: a unique way of seeing the human being. A kind of “poetic record” captured within the frame of the camera.

The short film ”If She from Poland was Here – about Wisława Szymborska”, made by Joanna Helander and Bo Persson will be screened as part of the exhibition. This year it is 30 years since Wisława Szymborska received the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Marta Bajno- founder of Marta Bajno Gallery

Participating artists: 

Joanna Helander – born in 1948 in Ruda Śląska, is a photographer, documentary filmmaker, writer and translator. She is known for documenting everyday life in the Polish People’s Republic and for creating photographic and film portraits of figures from Polish and Swedish cultural life. In 2025 she had a big solo exhibition at the Museum of Literature in Warsaw.

She was involved in the opposition movement of March 1968, and imprisoned  during protesting against the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact forces. In 1971 she emigrated to Sweden, where she later completed her photographic studies.

Tamara Pieńko – born in 1977 in Wrocław, is a photographer, portraitist and visual artist. She specializes in creative photography, often working with alternative techniques and mixed media. She is the founder of the ”She for Art Foundation” and publisher supporting social, educational and artistic initiatives.

Her portfolio includes portraits of Polish personalities from the worlds of culture, art, sports and politics. Fascinated by psychology, in recent years she has focused on developing her own photographic essay series. Her works were exhibited in Poland, USA and India.

Marek Gardulski – born in 1952 in Kraków, has been described by respected art critics as one of the most distinguished Polish continuators of classical pictorialism.

In the 1980s he collaborated with the Polaroid Corporation, and his large-formats  entered the Polaroid Collection in the USA. Gardulski’s works are included in several museum collections in Poland.

Bo Persson – born in  1953, is a Swedish film and theatre director. He spent many years in Rome and Paris, where he studied philosophy, anthropology and film studies. In 2016 he was awarded the Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture by the Polish Ministry of Culture.

The photographs are accompanied by poems by Hanna Łucja Orłowska – born in 1972 in Łódź, Poland. Having a background in sociology, she expresses her artistic talent through poetry. Her work explores the human condition in decisive moments and perception. Living in Sweden.

About event organizers:

Marta Bajno Gallery is an online gallery dedicated to collectible fine art photography. It presents Polish artists with distinctive visual languages. The gallery promotes photography as a significant medium of contemporary art while offering collectors access to selected works in limited-edition, produced using museum-quality archival techniques. Founded on the belief that photography has a unique power to tell stories with precision and authenticity.

Kino Koszyk – independent film company in Gothenburg, co-founded in 1987 by Joanna Helander and Bo Persson.

Monika Grodzka – born in 1997 is Polish emerging photographer with an academic background in psychology and Swedish philology. She has a strong interest in Swedish literature and cultural narratives. Drawing on professional experience in the Nordic region, she is also engaged in cultural liaison work.