Silesia and Galicia

A Limited Edition, Signed by Michał Cała 

Striking black and white photographs of the industrial Silesian landscape are juxtaposed with idyllic compositions of the villages and towns of former Galicia (Polish Galicia is a historical and geographic region between Central and Eastern Europe).

This extensive photobook consists of 6 of the most important series in the author's oeuvre: 4 black and white series: Silesia 1975-1992; Lower Silesia - small towns 1983; Silesia and Zagłębie 2004-2013; Galicia 1976-1990 and 2 colour series: Metropolis - cities of Silesia and Zagłębie 2004-2013; Lower Silesia - cities and towns 2012-2013.                                                                                                                                   

Michal Cala was born in Toruń, Poland in 1948 and studied aircraft construction in Warsaw at the University of Technology in the early 1970's. From 1974 to 1983 he worked as an engineer in various companies in Silesia, and began photographing in the area. In 1977, he moved to Tychy in Upper Silesia, where he co-founded the photographers' association KRON and become a member of the ZPAF - the Union of Polish Art Photographers.

Publications on his work include The Anthology of Polish Photography 1839 - 1989, The Masters of Polish Landscape and The Polish Photography in the 20th Century.

His exhibition Metropolis on Silesian urban landscapes was held at the Silesian Museum in Katowice in 2013 and a solo show Silesia and Galicia in the Museum of History of Photography in 2016 in Krakow (Poland). His photo book based on the same series was recently selected in the Open Submission at Belfast and Athens Photo Festivals respectively (2017).