Small space, dilapidated furniture, lack of permission to do renovations and no prospect of change - an exhibition of photographs by Klaudia Majewska titled "The unfit" is underway at the Intergenerational Clubhouse in Warsaw. "The Unable," which addresses the problem of housing stability in Poland.
Klaudia Majewska is an assistant in the Photography Studio at the Department of Interior Design Akademia Sztuk Pięknych w Warszawie, of which she is a graduate.
Her photographic project "The Unfit" documents the housing situation of young people in Poland. For many of them, the only solution is to rent or stay in the family home. A stable job or a graduate degree is not enough to apply to buy their own apartment, or even to achieve creditworthiness.
I wanted to explore what influences the sense of security in rented spaces. Ultimately, this sense of temporariness and entanglement becomes the subject of this exhibition
- says the author.
"The Unfit" - photography exhibition
photo: Klaudia Majewska
heroes of the exhibition - ambitious, but with fears
The exhibition presents photographs of rented apartments of nine heroes. You can get to know these ones in portraits and through excerpts from conversations.
I'm frustrated that I didn't take out a loan at the age of 18 (laughs) and didn't start paying it back then, because I'm already in my 30s so my creditworthiness is lower because of this, even though I only now have a permanent job and a contract of employment
- says one of the protagonists of the project.
"Unfit" - photo exhibition
Photo: Klaudia Majewska
The author also created sketch floor plans of the photographed apartments, which can also be seen in the exhibition. These are small spaces, not renovated for many years, whose owners often do not allow changes such as replacing furniture or painting walls. Some of the protagonists continue to live in their family homes.
The issues raised affect me directly, but also many of my relatives
- adds Klaudia Majewska.
She has been implementing the project for 2 years. The heroes are still increasing, and they have one thing in common - lack of creditworthiness. They are people from the millenials generation, aged around 30, who, although they have stable jobs, have graduated from college and want to start families, do not have the ability to buy their own apartment. At the same time, renting is not financially viable for them in the long term and generates anxiety about the future.
"The Unfit" - photo exhibition
photo: Klaudia Majewska
"The Unfit" is not only a record of individual stories, but also a testimony to a systemic problem that defines the reality of today's thirty-year-olds. The organizers of the exhibition draw attention to the results of the"Polish housing market" report:
60% of Polish households can neither afford to buy an apartment nor rent under market conditions; 32% of citizens indicate lack of housing or poor housing conditions as the most important problem of Polish families; There are 392 apartments per 1,000 people, 26% less than the European average; Poland ranks 4th. place in the EU in terms of housing overcrowding (36.9% against the average of 17.5%); Housing space per person in Poland is 24.3 sq. m, while the European average is 33 sq. m; More than 47% of 25-34 year olds still live with their parents - almost double the EU average.
The "Unable" exhibition can be seen at the Intergenerational Klubokawiarnia, 3/5 Anielewicza St., Warsaw, until April 4, Monday through Friday from 10 am to 8 pm.
Maria Cipińska
"The Unfit" - photography exhibition
photo: Klaudia Majewska
"Unfit" - photography exhibition
photo: Klaudia Majewska
"The Unfit" - photography exhibition
photo: Klaudia Majewska
