Profile

Paweł Starzec, Ph.D. is a sociologist and documentary photographer. As a sociologist, he specializes in semiology of images, contemporary iconography, and visual narrations. As a documentary photographer, he completed several long-term projects documenting the effects of broad social processes. He obtained his doctoral degree from the Institute of Applied Social Sciences at the University of Warsaw and a Master’s degree from the Institute of Creative Photography at the University of Silesia in Opawa.

Paweł is a recipient of numerous awards, including the Urbanautica Institute Award, the Encontros da Imagem Discovery Award, and the Spojrzenia Award, provided by the Deutsche Bank Foundation in collaboration with the Zachęta National Gallery of Art, which recognizes the most promising young artists. He earned honorable mentions in various artistic competitions, such as the Allegro Prize, the Grand Prix Łódź Fotofestival, and the CDS Documentary Essay Prize. He was a runner-up in the Paszporty Polityki (an annual award presented by the Polish weekly magazine Polityka for cultural and artistic achievements), the Film Photo Award, and the Grand Press Photo competitions.

Some of his works are included in the permanent collections of Encontros da Imagem, a non-profit cultural association that organizes an International Photography and Visual Arts Festival in Braga, Portugal, and Poland’s National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning. He co-founded Azimuth Press, an artistic-educational collective; the Papier Bije Kamień Foundation (Paper Trumps Rock Foundation); and an online platform, the Archive of Public Protests.

Paweł is an amateur musician and sound artist who performs under various pseudonyms. He is also interested in zines and DIY culture.