Ligia Popławska

Ligia Popławska is a Polish artist, photographer and researcher with a background in art history, based in Antwerp. Working at the intersection of ecology and anthropology, her practice weaves speculative narratives, tracing how human and more-than-human ecologies and senses shape and respond to environmental change. Her current research delves into forest ecologies, forest spirituality, ecological grief, solastalgia, disappearance of senses, animal perception and interspecies communication.
        After graduating in Art History from the University of Gdansk, Popławska continued her education at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, having completed BFA and MFA in Photography with great distinction. Her work has received awards including the Decade of Change Series Award by the British Journal of Photography, the PhMuseum Days Award and Photography Prize funded by the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. She is a laureate of .tiff 2022 and member of FUTURES Photography nominated by FOMU. Popławska exhibited in solo shows at Bienal’23 Fotografia do Porto, ENCONTROS DA IMAGEM, PhMuseum Days, and duo or group exhibitions at FOMU, Valerie Traan Gallery, De Brakke Grond, InCadaques Photo Festival, Helsinki Photo Festival, among others. She is a receipent of Emerging Talent Grant from the Flemish Government.
        Apart of the artistic practice, Ligia Popławska works commercially as a photographer. In 2021-2023 she taught photography at the Jewellery Design, Gold and Silversmithing Department, Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. She curated and wrote for a photography platform Intimate Structures. Since September 2024 she is a researcher in the Art & Ecology research group at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. In between commercial and artistic projects, she is managing IN-DEPENDANCE by IBASHO, a photography gallery in Antwerp.

CONTACT 

E      ligiapoplawska@gmail.com
IG    @ligiapoplawska
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GRANTS / AWARDS

2026        Athens Photo Festival, Shortlist
2025        Antwerp Art Graduation Prize, Jury Member
2024        PhotoVogue 2025 ‘The Tree of Life: a Love Letter to Nature’ Slideshow, Selected
2024        Research Project, Art & Ecology, Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, Grantee
2023        Leica Oskar Barnack Award, Nominee
2022        Emerging Talent Grant, Flemish Government, Grantee
2022        Decade of Change Series Award 2022, 1854 British Journal of Photography, Winner
2022        Helsinki Photo Festival Open Call, Winner
2022        PhMuseum Days 2022, Jury Member
2022        FUTURES Photography Talent, nominated by FOMU Fotomuseum Antwerpen, Member
2022        Selection .tiff 2022, FOMU Fotomuseum Antwerpen, Finalist
2021         PhMuseum Days 2021 Open Call Award, Winner
2020        New Talents, Photographic Exploration Project, Finalist
2020        Photography Prize, Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, Winner

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2023    Essay for the Future, Fading Senses ― Encontros da Imagem, Museu Nogueira da Silva, Braga
2023    Acts of Empathy, Fading Senses, Sensitive Territories ― Bienal’23 Fotografia do Porto, Porto
2021    A New Beginning, Fading Senses ― PhMuseum Days 2021 International Photography Festival, Bologna
2020    Fading Senses ― To Be Antwerp Festival, St. Vincents, Antwerp
 2020    Fading Senses ― To Be Antwerp Festival, Marcel Nies Oriental Art Gallery, Antwerp

2024    Rustling Earth ― Ligia Popławska & Babs Decruyenaere, Valerie Traan Gallery, Antwerp

2026    Blooming from Ashes ― De Tempel, Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp
2026    FeedBAck ― Wintertuin, Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp
2022    Decade of Change ― InCadaqués Photo Festival, 1854 British Journal of Photography
2022    .tiff 2022 Emerging Belgian Photography ― Flemish Cultural Center De Brakke Grond Amsterdam
2022    Believe ― Helsinki Photo Festival, The National Museum of Finland
2022    Decade of Change ― Belfast Photo Festival, 1854 British Journal of Photography
2022    .tiff 2022 Emerging Belgian Photography ― FOMU Fotomuseum Antwerpen
2021    Connected ― De Tempel, Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp
2021    Rethinking nature slide projection ― Foto Wien, European Month of Photography, Vienna
2021    Rethinking nature slide projection ― Imago Lisboa, European Month of Photography, Lisbon
2021    NEXUS, XLVI Space ― Photo Open Up Photo Festival, Padua
2021    Rethinking nature slide projection ― Casino Luxemburg, European Month of Photography   
2020    New Talents 2020 ― PEP Photographic Exploration Project, B-Part Gallery, Berlin
2020    Blume! Masters Expo 2020 ― hosted by FOMU, Antwerp
   Masters Expo 2020 ― Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp
2020    The Billboard Project: De Quarantaine Editie ― Antwerp
2020    Solo Show (MA) ― Oude Beurs, Antwerp
2018     Missing Mathilde: On the Representation of Women in Public Space ― Antwerp

LECTURES & TALKS

2026    ‘Whispers of the Primeval Forest’, Museum (Without) Shelter - Lecture Marathon, M HKA Antwerp
2025    ‘Art & Ecology - Whispers of the Primeval Forest’ - ARIA Seminar on Interdisciplinary Research & the Arts, University of Antwerp
2023    ‘Visual Storytelling Beyond Anthropocene: Geert Goiris and ‘World Without Us’’, Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp
 2022    British Journal of Photography 1854, New Narratives. Decade of Change: Documenting the Climate Crisis
 2021    ‘What happens if we lose our senses? Ligia Popławska talks about Solastalgia’, PhMuseum Days, Bologna
 2020    ‘Visual Storytelling Beyond Anthropocene: Geert Goiris and ‘World Without Us’’, Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp

TEACHING

2025    Masterclass ‘Art & Ecology’ - Articulate Research Festival, Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp with Sina Hensel and Delphine Wibaux
2021 - 2023    Photography course at the Department Jewellery Design & Gold- and silversmithing Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp

PRESS

Print
2024    KERB Journal of Landscape Architecture, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
2023    VOSTOK, article on “Fading Senses”, Seoul, South Korea
2023    Usbek & Rica, article on “Fading Senses”, Paris, France
2022    Futures Annual Publication, FUTURES Photography, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
2022    .tiff 2022 magazine, FOMU FotoMuseum Antwerp, Belgium
2020    New Talents 2020, Photographic Exploration Project, Berlin, Germany

Online
2024    Safelight Paper ― In conversation with Ligia Popławska
2023    Fisheye Magazine ― La sélection Instagram #425 : esthétique automnale
2022    Velvet Eyes ― Fading Senses by Ligia Popławska (interview)
2022    De Brakke Grond Amsterdam ― Experts Talking: Kaat Somers
2022    De Brakke Grond Amsterdam ― .TIFF 2022
2022    Sound of Life ― 10 Young Photographers To Keep An Eye On
2022    Belfast Photo Festival ― Decade of Change
2022    Helsinki Photo Festival ― Winners Open Call ‘Believe’
2022    1854 British Journal of Photography ― Decade of Change 2022: The Winners
2022    1854 British Journal of Photography ― Winners Decade of Change 2022 Photography Awards
2022    FOMU Fotomuseum Antwerpen ― .TIFF 2022 Emerging Belgian Photography
2022    PhMuseum ― Ligia Popławska On Exhibiting at the PhMuseum Days
2021     C 41 Magazine ― Ligia Popławska explains solastalgia and sensory deprivation
2021     1854 British Journal of Photography ― Identities, realities, and space: XLVI launches a graduate exhibition
2021     PhMuseum Days ― Fading Senses
2021     PhMuseum ― Fabiola Cedillo, Ligia Poplawska and Samuel Fordham Will Exhibit at PhMuseum Days 2021
2021     PhMuseum ― PhMuseum Days 2021 Open Call Winners Announced
2021     Decalogue Magazine ― Ligia Popławska
2020    PhMuseum ― Picks 2020: PhMuseum Editors’ Top Projects of 2020, PhMuseum
2020    Desired Spaces ― Future Scenarios for an (Un-)Build Environment: Spaces of Seclusion and Collectiveness

FEATURES

1 Granary    British Journal of Photography    AN Magazine    AD Architectural Digest    Art Viewer    C 41 Magazine    Current Obsession    DAMN Magazine    Decalogue Magazine    Design Anthology UK    Desired Spaces    De Standaard    De Witte Raaf    Fisheye Magazine    HART    HYPEBEAST    I-D Vice   Ideat China    Leibal    Milk Decoration   Openhouse Magazine  PhMuseum    RUM    Sight Unseen     The Design Edit    Thisispaper     VOGUE Italia    VOGUE Polska

SELECTED CLIENTS

Acrai    Artlover magazine    Bertrand Lejoly    Emairo Marble    fivetimesone    Gent University    Graanmarkt 13    IBASHO    KOJI magazine    Libraryman    MA Festival Brugge    M Leuve    Orient Express    Paf Atelier    St. Vincents    Somekind Studio    The Metamorphoses    VAi Vlaams Architectuurinstituut    valerie objects    valerie_traan gallery    Woche    Z33 Hasselt