PHOTOGRAPHER SHOWCASE MICHALINA DOSZCZAK 

In this series of works, made for WAER DIGITAL, MICHALINA DOSZCZAK, strives to capture and expose the raw and visceral emotions that we want to push away. Anxiety, depression, despair, decay, discomfort, and loneliness: every next frame peels back another layer of sorrow and grief. For DOSZCZAK, the images serve as a visual diary, "capturing what cannot be seen with the naked eye, but what reverberates through our souls.'' They bring forth a softness and a harshness that the viewer has to face. You're meant to feel the image on your skin, in your mouth and throat, and in the depths of your bones. 

MICHALINA DOSZCZAK was born in Gdańsk, Poland (2003), but largely grew up in Germany, and since 2011 has been based in the Netherlands. Her consistent displacement in her childhood has put her in a "constant search" for something she can't truly grasp.  In her varied artforms, including in her photography, she chases "temporary obsessions" ignited through small sparks of inspiraton; be that something, physical, visual, or imagined. She interlaces these obsessions with her own emotions, often centered around her anxieties and fears, with her artistic expressions then taking the form of self-portraiture. 

In this series, DOSZCZAK takes her self-portraiture to another level; a macro-level. As part of a longer project of self-documenting her body, she regularly collects her own skin, and captures it. She does so abstractly and repetitively, blurring the lines between subject and object. Whilst macro photography is generally practiced with specialized equipment, DOSZCZAK ignores conventions. Instead, she uses her old phone, which happens to have a strong built-in macro lens, to capture herself up close. She shows that equipment is far less important than one's creativity. 

Images MICHALINA DOSZCZAK 

Words MICHA BRAAKSMA

Date 25/11/2024