University of Silesia in Katowice

Within the fourth edition of the “A Graduate with Passion” poll, a graduate of March 2016 was chosen: Gabriela Bazan, a graduate of cultural studies at the Faculty of Philology.

Gabriel Bazan’s greatest passions are photography and film. For this reason, she decided to pursue 1st and 2nd cycle cultural studies with a specialization in film at the Faculty of Philology of the University of Silesia. She received her master’s degree for her work titled Photography as a cultural space. The history of the medium in the field of technological changes. She also graduated from the “Fotoedukacja” post-secondary photography school. Her diploma work, Cinema, my beautiful worry, in which she paid tribute to the work of the French director Jean-Luc Godard, was prepared under the supervision of Mateusz Orszulski and was defended with an excellent grade. In January 2015, she passed the exam granting her the title of a photographer, and in June 2015 she obtained the title of phototechnician.

Gabriel Bazan’s works can be seen at: www.gabrielabazan.wix.com/portfolio.

Photographs of Gabriela Bazan were shown at various exhibitions, including:

• “Nostalgia” – a collective exhibition of the Photographic Scientific Society of the University of Silesia in the Scientific Information Centre and the Academic Library in Katowice (February 2016),
• “Photophony” – a collective exhibition at the Zagłębie Palace of Culture in Dąbrowa Górnicza (October 2015),
• Exhibition “Diplomas 2015” in the Tradition Park in Siemianowice Śląskie (June 2015),
• “What’s up” – a collective exhibition of fashion photography at the Cracow Fashion Week (March 2015),
• “Natechwile Group Exhibition” as part of the 12th International Photography Festival in Rybnik (March 2015),
• “Many faces, one passion” ‒ a collective exhibition of the Photographic Scientific Society of the University of Silesia (February 2015).

Her work has been published on the covers and in an article in the Silesian magazine “Style” (February and October 2012), as well as on the website of the Italian magazine “Vogue”, in the “Photo Vogue” section for young artists.

Gabriela Bazan participates in photographic competitions. In 2010, she took second place in the “Poland Photo Fashion” nationwide competition, organized by “K MAG” magazine  and sophisti.pl portal as part of Warsaw Fashion Street. In 2011, she took second place in the “Magical Corners of Poland” photo competition. In 2013, she was the finalist of the competition for the ambassador of the new Fujifilm camera.

In the years 2010–2015, as a student of cultural studies, she had internships several times at the School of Polish Language and Culture of the University of Silesia, helping in the organization of a preparatory course for students of the Erasmus programme and of the Summer School of Polish Language and Culture in Cieszyn, among others. Together with the School and fellow students she organized the “Made in Poland” film festival for foreign language students of the University, during which Polish cinematography was shown (and in later years also Kazakh and Brazilian). In 2014, she participated in the School project entitled “Stereotypes ‒ no, no!”, during which she studied stereotypes functioning in societies in Germany, Poland and Kazakhstan. In addition, as part of the project, she was a co-organizer of the Kazakh festival Nauryz, which took place at the Faculty of Philology. The culmination of the project was a seminar held at the University of Abylaj Khan in Almaty, Kazakhstan. In 2015, she helped the School organize another project related to Brazil and the poet Paulo Leminski.

In addition to the activities related to the School of Polish Language and Culture of the University of Silesia, she was an active member of the “Kinotok” film science club and the University of Silesia Photographic Science Club. She is the author of articles on film and photography in the “Spotlight: we light up culture” national cultural magazine. She gives lectures at the Kosmos Cinema as part of the “Embassy” discussion club, meetings of the Photographic Science Club or the “Made in Poland” film festival.