The medium of photography is a story of atmosphere for this 23-year-old Polish visual artist and graphic designer. But also of healing.

This discovery, combined with exploration, had therapeutic and cathartic effects at a difficult time in his life. Solitary figure, silhouette lurking in the shadows, glittering neon lights, car headlights, skyscrapers lost in the mist, nebulous landscapes.

The images reveal all their cinematic intensity. No wonder. Dominik Podlipniak draws his inspiration from the seventh art, from film soundtracks and cinematographers' lighting work. The child with his back to the burning house is inspired by the fire scene in Andrei Tarkovsky's The Sacrifice. Others, like Blade Runner 2049 or Dark City, seem to come straight out of graphic novels, neo-noir and science-fiction cinema. You could almost hear ambient music or synthwave. Elsewhere, references to Edward
Hopper emerge, like the single light shining in the apartment of a building with a dark façade. Lighting, composition and storytelling are the key words in the image-making process of this young talent, who captures furtive moments that reflect his vision of the world.

IAMPODLIPKE