Michal Sikorski – TeGieeR is a photographer from Gdańsk, Poland, and a member of the Gdańsk Photography Association (GTF). He graduated from the WFH Photography School in Sopot in 2006 and works exclusively with film photography.
He developed his distinctive style in creative artistic photography, which he calls “Urban Absurd.” This series consists of analog, medium-format fine art photographs captured using a Pentacon Six retro camera in urban environments. The concept behind Urban Absurd is to depict the world and human behaviors in a grotesque, absurd, and critical manner. His approach is highly conceptual, with meticulous planning and direction before each shoot. He carefully selects models, locations, and weather conditions to ensure the desired atmosphere.
Although he uses a vintage camera, technical precision is crucial to his work. He exclusively shoots on Ilford Delta or HP5 film, maintaining consistent lighting conditions by shooting each session on a single roll of film. Depending on the situation, he develops his negatives using normal, push, or pull processing to achieve maximum grayscale rendering and optimal contrast. While the presented images are scanned negatives, his exhibition prints are handcrafted in the darkroom using Ilford fibre-based papers.
The “Menace” series follows the Urban Absurd style, featuring his son Maks as the central figure—portrayed as a “menace boy.” This project is deeply personal, as it captures the true essence of his son’s lively and playful nature. However, the series also explores universal themes related to childhood. It raises questions about perception and societal expectations: What does it mean to be a menace? Who decides that a child is considered troublesome? Perhaps it is merely the adult perspective that labels certain behaviors as disruptive. Society often pressures children to fit predefined roles, mirroring the interests, careers, and hobbies of their parents. However, children simply want to play, laugh, and explore. They learn through mistakes, and sometimes, they should be allowed to be a “menace”—even if just for a moment. [Official Website]
