Jan Skwara /Poland
The aim of the project is to immortalize a world that, although still existing today, is already a thing of the past and is inevitably becoming history. Traditions and ways of life are often cultivated only by the oldest and will pass away with them. In the era of globalization and the convergence of cultures, we can still find communities living in the original way, rituals, thousand-year-old traditions, unusual customs, costumes and architecture. The author of the project wish to show this vanishing world in the form of photography, but also with ethnographic publications. The photographs are taken using the historical wet collodion plate technique, invented and used in the second half of the 19th century. The archaic nature of the method aims to show that the subject of the project is part of the past world, more fitting to the period when the photographic technique was invented and thrived, rather than to the present day. When viewing the images, it is easy to assume they are from two centuries ago, which further emphasizes that the photographed people and their lives are a kind of "relics of the past." On the other hand, the project is a tribute to the first photographers documenting world. People such as John Thompson, Edward S. Curtis and Samuel Bourne can be called the first travel photographers, presenting the beauty and exoticism of the "distant world". Their work required extraordinary effort, determination and courage. Complicated photographic technique required moving around with a portable darkroom and working with hard-to-find chemicals. Reaching isolated communities was not only a huge logistical challenge, but also often dangerous. The authors of the project want to repeat this challenge, which is often associated with no less difficulties than 150 years ago. The main technique of the project – the Collodion process invented in 1851, requires direct access to the darkroom during photography. Therefore, such a darkroom should be mobile. Chemical solutions used in this technique are flammable and corrosive. This excludes air transport; getting to photographic locations requires travel by land or water. This often means transporting 70 to 90 kilograms of equipment to high mountains or into the middle of the jungle.
Aghori The project has a global reach. So far, the author has traveled with a mobile darkroom to India, Peru, and Tanzania. In India, the author documented the Aghori sect, followers of the god Shiva, who are known for their extraordinary and unconventional rituals and customs. The Aghori inhabit cremation grounds, engaging with the spirits of the deceased, following the example of their Lord. In their ceremonies, they use human bodies, bones, and skulls. With the benevolent and wrathful face of God, they possess a power they use to help those in need – removing curses and warding off evil spirits. Over two years of working on the project, the author accompanied several gurus, lived in an ashram, photographed wandering sadhu in Banaras, and pilgrimaged to the Ambubachi Mela festival at the Kamakhya temple. This not only allowed him to take photographs but also to learn and document the stories of all his subjects.
Curator Statement:
The Aghoris are a community of mystics, who are ardent devotees of Shiva (The god of destruction ) in the form of Bhairava ( Who is beyond fear or destroyer of fear ). They are a monastic order of ascetics and presently the only surviving sect of the Kapalika and Kalamukha tradition, which originated in the medival era between the 4th and 8th century of the common era . This community primarily originates from the northen Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Thier aim is to seek Moksha or liberation through endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Aghoris are a secretive and elusive community which practice extreme hindu tantric rituals. Dwelling in Hindu cremation grounds, smearing ashes on their bodies, using human skulls as utensils & ornaments, and eating flesh from the human corpses can seem shockingly bizarre and unconventional to the outside world. Aghoris over the centuries have strongly held on to their tradition and culture with every effort to stay unaffected in a fast changing and globalizing world.
Polish photographer Jan Skwara's "Portrait of the Past" is more than just a collection of images, it's the outcome of a transformative experience he had while living, engaging, and discovering in the world of these mystics. His use of the 1850s alernative method of collodion (a wet plate process), which combines a playful blend of meticulous execution, a challenging setting, and unintended outcomes, makes the photos much more captivating and gives the viewer a sense of mystery and surrealism within a classical approach. Each photograph has some inadvertent technical flaws brought on by the inevitable situation, producing a completely unique and unforgettable experience.
©Sandeep Biswas
Jan Skwara, born 1981, a photographer and traveler based in Poland. The winner of many international and national photography competitions (including National Geographic’s Grand Photography Contest, Leica Street Photo, Travel Photographer of the Year, Polish Sport Photography Contest, three-time winner of the ‘Frames from the World’ contest), distinguished in the field of documentary, travel, portrait and sport photography. His photos were published, among others in National Geographic, The Guardian, The Mirror, The Sun and Digital Camera UK. He presented photos during individual and group exhibitions including “Black & White” Athens, “Photocrowd & Alamy Exhibition London”, “Podróże okiem Polaków”, “Poland – contexts”, “Indian Mysteries”, "Bangladesh - reporter's eye". For several years, he has been exploring historical photographic techniques such as the collodion process, dry plate photography, cyanotype, and albumen prints. He also captures images using a camera obscura. Paying homage to the first travel photographers, he traverses the world with a darkroom and a large-format camera, preserving vaniashing cultures and traditions through his lens. In 2024, in an effort to set a Guinness World Record for the highest ambrotype ever created, he independently carried a photographic darkroom, along with a set of essential chemicals and a large-format camera, to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, capturing photographs at an altitude of 5,895 meters above sea level. The expedition was successful, and the Guinness committee is currently verifying the documentation of the record attempt. Professionally, he organizes photographic expeditions around the world, introducing his students to the principles of reportage and documentary photography.