Publications of PJATK Gdańsk lecturers

The book "Things" / Things" is a presentation of a series of photographs that were created during the pandemic in a home studio during isolation, with the idea of a later exhibition (in a "better time"). The exhibition was first presented in May 2022 at the Pionova Gallery in Gdansk, accompanied by the above-mentioned publication as a catalog. 

The publication was sold only during exhibitions and meetings with the author. Photographs from the series

"Things / Things" sells, among other things, the store of the Gdynia City Museum.

Dr. Leszek Żurek

Graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk and the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan in the field of photography. Lecturer in photography and psychophysiology of vision at the Polish-Japanese Academy of Computer Technology in Gdansk. Author of photographs for two album publications "Paradissus Marie" and "St. Mary's Church in Zukowo", as well as photographs for over a dozen book items and catalogs of the Gdynia City Museum (including "Gdynia Open Work", "Zbigniew Horbowy", "Marek Cecuła", "Barbara Hoff", "Andrzej Strumillo. Illustrations", "Glass metal detail", "Unrecognized. Gdynia and its surroundings until the 12th century"). Active professionally as a commercial photographer for over twenty years. Creator of many individual exhibitions and participant in collective exhibitions. Scholarship holder of the Minister of Culture. Member of the Association of Polish Artists.

The book "Splendor and Asceticism. A Guide to Traditional Japanese Architecture" was published in 2023 by Kirin Publishing. As the name says, it's a lavishly illustrated guide to Japan's traditional architecture, showing its evolution from Neolithic earthworks to the Meiji Restoration era, although it also hooks into issues of modern architecture. Described are various styles of sacred and secular architecture, castles and palaces, country cottages, townhomes, tea pavilions... The title splendor and asceticism are shown in different eras and contexts, taking into account native architectural traditions and Chinese influences, including the influence of the Buddhist religion and its relationship to minimalist solutions and syncretic relations with the shintō religion, including the contexts of Japanese architecture's links to nature.

The book can be purchased at Kirin Publishing's online book store, as well as at selected stationary and online bookstores.

We invite you to read a review of the book.

Dr. Joanna Zakrzewska

Joanna Zakrzewska, a Japanese artist, calligrapher and illuminator, is a lecturer and associate dean of the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology. She received her doctorate from the Faculty of Graphic Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, and her research interests focus on the aesthetics of Japanese art. She is the author of such monographs as "Sakuteiki - Notes on the Establishment of Gardens," "Overthinking Beauty. The Aesthetics of Japanese Calligraphy" and "Splendor and Asceticism. A Guide to Traditional Japanese Architecture." In her career, she has also translated Niimi Nankichi's "Fox Gon and Other Tales." In the field of Japanese calligraphy, she is a master in Grade VIII of the Seifū School of Japanese Calligraphy. She is fascinated by the writing of various cultures, Arabic, Hebrew, Russian, Chinese, and of course Latin. She conducts workshops and demonstrations of Latin and Japanese calligraphy. She is the author of the illustrations for the Yume series by Kirin Publishing House. She has numerous academic publications and art exhibitions to her credit.