11-day photography exhibition at Bishwo Shahitto Kendro
The exhibition titled “A Phoenix From The Ashes - Destruction and Reconstruction of Warsaw 1939-1955” organised jointly by the Polish Institute and Bishwo Shahitto Kendro will begun on Tuesday at 5 pm at the Art Gallery Bishwo Shahitto Kendro in the capital.
The exhibition is a graphic epitome of the strength, courage and solidarity of a nation and its people during the Second World War.
The exhibition revisits one of the most critical chapters of Poland’s history, the destruction of the capital city of Warsaw by German troops and the inspiring reconstruction of the city after the Second World War.
The War, and the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 in particular, left the city with almost nothing to define its identity. As a result of ruthless German bombings in September 1939 and after the systematic wrecking of Warsaw on the personal orders of Hitler, including barbaric acts of killing Warsaw’s innocent dwellers by German troops, the beautiful capital of Poland was almost totally destroyed.
As a result, Warsaw in 1945 resembled a ghost town rather than what it once was – a vibrant and joyful city of beauty with a rich cultural and artistic life, and an important centre of politics and business in the heart of Europe. Warsaw, physically and materially, almost ceased to exist. But her soul was not conquered and just like the legendary Phoenix rising from the ashes, Warsaw was rebuilt and gradually brought back to life. This unique and pioneering nature of the reconstruction of the city was given its due recognition when Warsaw’s Old Town was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1980.
The exihibition opened followed by the screening of the film, “Warsaw Uprising” at 6 pm at the Cinema Hall of Bishwo Shahitto Kendro.
“Warsaw Uprising” is a documentary film made entirely from archival materials. It tells the story of the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 through the eyes of a US airman, an escapee from the Nazi camp and two young reporters who were witness to insurgent fighting. It uses authentic newsreels filmed in August 1944. With its cutting edge colorization and audio reconstruction, the “Warsaw Uprising” has no comparable project in the world.
Dhaka Bank chairman and honorary consul of the Republic of Poland in Bangladesh Reshadur Rahman, writer and researcher Mofidul Haque, prominent artist Jamal Ahmed and Polish Institute of New Delhi’s visual art specialist Aneta Święcicka were present on the inauguration ceremony.
