Zygmunt Rytka at Photo London 2026

Works by Zygmunt Rytka are presented at this year’s edition of Photo London — one of the most important international fairs dedicated to contemporary photography. At the booth of Monopol Gallery, visitors can see photographs from the series Bluff (1975–1978).

Zygmunt Rytka was one of the key figures of the Polish neo-avant-garde of the 1970s and the independent artistic scene of the 1980s. An intermedia artist, photographer, author of experimental films, video works, installations and objects, he consistently developed his own artistic language over several decades, combining reflections on image and perception with a critical approach to media, politics and social reality.

Although self-taught, Rytka quickly became an active part of the artistic circles gathered around some of the most important experimental galleries of the period, including Mała Galeria, Galeria Wschodnia and Galeria FF. He also documented activities by artists associated with Galeria Remont, Repassage and the Culture of Zrzuta movement, creating what is now an invaluable archive of independent Polish art of the second half of the 20th century.

The Bluff series, presented at Photo London, emerged at a turning point in Rytka’s artistic practice. In these works, the artist moved away from detached conceptual analysis toward a more critical social commentary. Through staged photography, he explored the mechanisms of propaganda and consumerism characteristic of the Edward Gierek era, revealing how images could construct desires, needs and collective visions of prosperity.

Today, Bluff is regarded as one of the most important examples of critical Polish photography of the 1970s. The description of the series is based on the publication Zygmunt Rytka. Stones, Ants, and Television by Karol Hordziej and Daniel Muzyczuk, published by Spector Books.

Rytka’s work remains one of the key reference points in the history of Polish photography and media art. His works have been presented in numerous exhibitions in Poland and internationally, continuing to gain new contexts and interpretations today.

The photographs presented at the fair come from the Zygmunt Rytka Archive, held in the collection of In Situ Contemporary Art Foundation.

The presentation is organised by Monopol Gallery with the support of Polish Cultural Institute in London and Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

More information:
Photo London
Zygmunt Rytka Archive