Jurek Wajdowicz

Jurek Wajdowicz (born 1951, Cracow) is a Polish-born American artist, graphic designer, fine art contemporary photographer and art director. He lives and works in New York City.

Wajdowicz concentrates on images of poverty, famine, social inequality and violence in his typographic designs to more tranquil contemplative images in his art photography.^[1] From 2009, Wajdowicz has focused on fine art abstract photography resulting in several ongoing thematic series. His book, Liminal Spaces was published in 2013.^[2] Some of his recent work is also represented at the Vienna contemporary art fair in Vienna, Austria 2015.^[3] Wajdowicz was selected as one of the "Most Influential Graphic Designers of the Past 50 Years" in the 50th Anniversary Survey of Graphic Design: USA magazine.^[4]

Wajdowicz in 2015

Life and career

Wajdowicz began his career as an artist in Lodz, Poland, where he graduated summa cum laude with a master’s degree in graphic design from the Lodz Academy of Fine Arts. After working on design projects for theaters and museums in Lodz, Warsaw and England (Pentagram, London), he went to the United States as an art director at Lubalin, Burns & Company in New York before co-founding Emerson, Wajdowicz Studios (EWS) with Lisa LaRochelle in 1982.^[5] EWS' partners and clients include international humanitarian organizations and non-profit institutions active in social change.^[6][7] From the 1990s to the present Wajdowicz and EWS created projects for the Rockefeller Foundation, Domtar, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the Arcus Foundation, International Rescue Committee, Magnum Photos, Freedom House and the United Nations, working with photographers such as Eugene Richards, Sebastião Salgado, Steve McCurry, Antonin Kratochvil, Deborah Turbeville, Philip Jones Griffiths, Richard Avedon, Elliott Erwitt, Jonas Bendiksen, James Nachtwey, Alex Webb and Gueorgui Pinkhassov.^[8]

Publications

Publications by Wajdowicz

• Emerson, Wajdowicz Studios: Graphic Design. EWS/HMP, 1998. ISBN 978-0970718204.
• Liminal Spaces: Fotografie_75. Lars Müller, 2013. With introductions by Fred Ritchin and Jennifer Sterling. ISBN 978-3037784105.

Publications with contributions by Wajdowicz

• Endure – Renewal from ground zero. Jurek Wajdowicz with Antonín Kratochvíl, Gilles Peress, Carolina Salguero, Larry Towell and Alex Webb. Rockefeller Foundation, 2001. ISBN 0-89184-061-3.
• Political / Social Posters. Jurek Wajdowicz with Andrea Castelletti, John Clark, Milton Glaser, Mark Gowing, Toshiaki Ide, Uwe Loesch, Joao Machado, Pentagram Design and Francois Robert. Edited by B Martin Pedersen, Graphis. ISBN 9781932026924.
• Robin Landa. Graphic Design Solutions. Boston: Wadsworth Publishing. ISBN 978-1133945529
• Misha Friedman. Lyudmila and Natasha. New York: The New Press, 2015. ISBN 978-1620970232.
• Kike Arnal. Bordered Lives. New York: The New Press, 2015. ISBN 978-1620970249.
• David Brier. Great Type and Lettering Designs. North Light Books. ISBN 978-0891344407
• Jenny Papalexandris. Five Bells. New York: The New Press, 2016. ISBN 978-1620971666.

Collections

Wajdowicz’s art photography and design work is held in the following permanent collections:

• United States Library of Congress (USA).
• National 9/11 Memorial & Museum (USA).^[9]
• United Nations Headquarters (Geneva and New York).
• Rockefeller Foundation (New York).
• The Poster Museum in Wilanow (Poland).
• The Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Switzerland).
• American Institute of Graphic Arts (New York).^[10]
• Museum of Modern Art in Lodz (Poland).
• Arcus Foundation (New York).
• Hamburg’s Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe (Germany).
• Collection of the Center for the Study of Political Graphics (Culver City, USA)^[11]

References

1. "Solace - Kasia Michalski Gallery". Kasiamichalski.com. 2015-07-31. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
2. Wajdowicz, Jurek (2013). Liminal Spaces. Zürich, Switzerland: Lars Müller Publishers.
3. "viennacontemporary". Viennacontemporary.at. 2015-09-27. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
4. "Most Influential Graphic Designers of the Past 50 Years". Graphic Design: USA. Graphic Design: USA. Retrieved 2013.
5. Stevens, Carol (September 1995). "Provoking the Monster. Jurek Wajdowicz". Print Magazine.
6. Gutowski, Sharon. "New York Design Firm Shines Light on Social Justice, Poverty and International Organizations". Advocate by Design: Designing Solutions to Global Problems. Retrieved October 2013.
7. Rudolph, Eric (September 1999). "Emerson, Wajdowicz: Masters of Photo-Journalism". PDN.
8. Hughes, Holly Stuart. "Pix People: Interview with Jurek Wajdowicz". PDN.
9. "Endure: Renewal from Ground Zero". New York 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Retrieved September 2012.
10. http://designarchives.aiga.org/#/entries/%2Bcredits%3A%22Jurek%20Wajdowicz%22/_/grid/relevance/desc/0/27/120 http://designarchives.aiga.org/#/entries/%2Bcredits%3A%22Jurek%20Wajdowicz%22/_/grid/relevance/desc/0/27/120
11. http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8959k7m/entire_text/

External links

• Jurek Wajdowicz’s official fine art photography website
• Emerson Wajdowicz Studios (EWS) design website
• Kasia Michalski Gallery 2015 Jurek Wajdowicz Solace Exhibition Interview (in English and Polish)
• Liminal Spaces. Fotografie_75. Jurek Wajdowicz. Lars Müller Publishers