A project at the intersection of art, politics, and social activism, born out of dissent and a sense of civic responsibility. The Archive of Public Protests (APP) was established in 2019 (with materials collected since 2016) at the initiative of Rafał Milach, a photographer known, among other things, for his involvement in the Sputnik Photos collective and nominated for the Polityka Passport award for his own work in 2018. From the outset, the archive was conceived as a non-commercial initiative dedicated to documenting all forms of public protest.
APP members were present at demonstrations, rallies, and marches organised in defence of the climate, judicial independence, the constitution, LGBTQ minority rights, women’s rights, and other causes. The resulting archive serves researchers, artistic projects, and all those fighting to uphold the principles of a democratic and free society. The archive has also launched a photo repository for the press and online media, and publishes a free printed newsletter, Gazeta Strajkowa (Strike Newspaper), of which six issues have been released to date. From the very beginning, the project was conceived as an act of activism. “We do not objectify reality. We are engaged,” Milach explained in an interview. In terms of its principles, the archive opposes xenophobia, homophobia, all forms of racism, and the destruction of the natural environment.
Eighteen photographers are officially involved in the project: Michał Adamski, Marta Bogdańska, Karolina Gembara, Łukasz Głowala, Marcin Kruk, Agata Kubis, Michalina Kuczyńska, Adam Lach, Alicja Lesiak, Rafał Milach, Joanna Musiał, Chris Niedenthal, Wojtek Radwański, Bartek Sadowski, Karolina Sobel, Paweł Starzec, Grzegorz Wełnicki, and Dawid Zieliński. The youngest member of the group is 25-year-old Michalina Kuczyńska, while the archive also includes experienced photojournalists such as Chris Niedenthal. APP has developed no internal structure or hierarchy and operates on democratic principles. There is no room for competition; instead, members support and motivate one another. “We saw the protests of 2021 through the lens of APP photography,” explained Jakub Banasiak, referring to the reasoning behind the archive’s nomination.