Eerie monochrome photographs at Poland's last Brutalist train station by Michał Łuczak

Date
23 October 2015

Some see it as ugly, some as beautiful; but there’s no denying how many people fetishise the stark lines and ominous grey expanses of Brutalist architecture. Captured well in a photograph, these structures have the power to cast an eerie aura over a space, especially liminal spaces such as abandoned buildings. Polish photographer Michal Łuczak’s work ticks all these boxes and more, capturing the now-destroyed Katowice Railway Station in Poland.

Built in the early 1970s, the site once stood as a symbol of modern Poland; but by the 80s it was falling into ruin. While the bricks and mortar were finally torn down in 2011, thankfully Michal’s images remain, and are going on show in Dalston, east London, early next month. According to the Doomed Gallery hosting the show, Michal used to “[hang] around [the station] with an old-fashioned Graflex, and unintentionally became one of those who were not travelling from A to B.

“The people started asking him questions. Mostly they were asking for money to get a drink or food but sometimes also to be photographed. As he says, they were the ones who created in there some kind of a parallel world which existed on the sidelines of normal life… [the exhibition] aims to recreate picture of the place which does not exist in a real world anymore.”

Michal Łuczak: Brutal, retrospective runs from 5 – 8 November 2015 at Doomed Gallery, Dalston

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Michał Łuczak: Brutal

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Michał Łuczak: Brutal

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Michał Łuczak: Brutal

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Michał Łuczak: Brutal

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Michał Łuczak: Brutal

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Michał Łuczak: Brutal

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About the Author

Emily Gosling

Emily joined It’s Nice That as Online Editor in the summer of 2014 after four years at Design Week. She is particularly interested in graphic design, branding and music. After working It's Nice That as both Online Editor and Deputy Editor, Emily left the company in 2016.

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