35 Portraits Of Medical And Non-Medical Personnel Who Fought The Covid-19 Pandemic That We Turned Into A Billboard In The Center Of Warsaw

I didn't do the project alone but with 4 other people. They are Sławek Kamiński, Marta Rybicka, Maciej Stanik and Mirosław Pieślak. We are a group of recognized and award-winning Polish photojournalists working for the largest Polish newspapers, photo agencies and internet portals. Each of us started differently, but our adventure with press photography has been going on for many years. We make Nanga Pictures Collective. 

We wanted to make something that people would see. Something that will exist in public space. And not only on social media. After many conversations together, we came to the conclusion that "large format" can attract the attention of viewers. And I don't think there has ever been an exhibition of photos on such a medium. Currently, the billboard has been cut up and can be presented in the form of a stationary exhibition in galleries and museums.

We wanted to show people who were and are fighting for their lives and health. That these are not only doctors and nurses, but also the entire medical staff, i.e. orderlies, cleaners, etc. We wanted to show that these are our neighbors whom we may not know but tomorrow they can be our saviors.

The biggest challenge of working on this project was to reach hospitals in different parts of Poland (because these are hospitals from Żagań, Siedlce, Warsaw, Koscierzyna and Przasnysz) and get permission to photograph. At that time when this project took place, many of the hospitals still had a lot of patients. But we did it and we are very grateful to the management of these hospitals and the people in the photos who approached the idea very well.

As the Nanga Pictures collective, we are constantly working on new ideas. Each of us is or was involved in photographing the war in Ukraine. Whether it's through photos in Poland or in Ukraine, what will come of this, time will tell.

I took pictures of Ukrainian women and children who have escaped from war to Poland. If you're interested, you can check the photographs here.