Kasia Fortuna's exhibition "The Power of Beauty" at Ney Gallery&Prints. Opening: February 13, 2015, 6:00 PM. The exhibition runs until February 28, 2015. Exhibition patrons: Qπш brand, Robert Kupisz, Medikon Polska

Ney Gallery&Prints will present a series of photographs by Kasia Fortuna. The exhibition "The Power of Beauty" showcases women who have lost their hair while battling cancer. The photographs depict individuals full of confidence in the successful completion of treatment. Cancer is a traumatic experience. Hair loss, a symbol of femininity, deepens this painful and difficult condition. During the process of creating the photographs, it became clear that motivating oneself to look beautiful and take care of one's appearance has an extremely therapeutic effect on sick women and gives them strength in their fight against the disease. In Kasia Fortuna's hands, the camera became a friend, almost a medicine, allowing her to regain the self-confidence lost during chemotherapy. The photographer believes that such photo sessions can be recommended to patients as a therapy that supports the healing process.

Working on this series of photographs was a unique experience for Kasia Fortuna. The artist herself had previously struggled with cancer. She knew all too well what hair loss, chemotherapy, and its associated effects meant. As she recalls, "During illness, the hardest thing is to accept the 'Eighth Passenger of the Nostromo' in one's own body, which becomes an 'uncontrollable second self.'" To emphasize this duality, the artist used a double exposure technique. The plants, photographed in the second exposure, symbolize the lack of control over the "Alien." The project was initiated by the Rak&Roll Foundation with the aim of accustoming society to the sight of bareheaded women undergoing chemotherapy.

Kasia Fortuna graduated from the Higher School of Photography at the Cinematography Department of the National Film, Television and Theatre School in Łódź, where she was accepted in 1998 with the highest grade of all applicants. Photographing people gives her the greatest pleasure. In her photography, she frequently uses images of plants, exploiting the symbolism of their form, color, and vegetative stages. Her work frequently addresses the issue of individual alienation in the age of consumerism and also explores the phenomenon of androgyny (the blurring of cultural differences between women). She has experience in fashion and advertising photography. Her photographs have appeared on album covers for artists such as Maanam, De Mono, Anita Lipnicka, and Kora Ola Ola. She has collaborated with companies such as Pomaton EMI, ZIC ZAC, Twój Styl, Playboy, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Corporate Profiles. She has been a member of the Association of Polish Art Photographers since 2001. She has held numerous solo and group exhibitions in Poland and abroad. More information about the artist can be found at: www.kasiafortuna.com

The photographs presented in the exhibition were printed by Ney Prints. Limited, signed collector's editions are available.