Together. 20 Years of the Sputnik Photos Collective

For the Sputnik Photos collective, photography was never merely a record of reality but a space of encounter and joint action. The exhibition at the Museum of Photography in Krakow tells the story of one of Central and Eastern Europe’s most important photographic groups, presenting photography as a medium of relationships, shared responsibility and giving voice to others.

The Museum of Photography in Krakow on the exhibition (translated from the Polish original):

For Sputnik Photos, photography was never merely a record of reality. It is a space of encounter, a tool of critical thinking and joint action. The exhibition “Together” at the Museum of Photography in Krakow tells the story of the work of one of Central and Eastern Europe’s most important photographic collectives, presenting photography as a medium of relationships, shared responsibility and giving voice to others.

“Together. 20 Years of the Sputnik Photos Collective,” presented at the Museum of Photography in Krakow from 11 April 2026, is not a conventional retrospective. The group’s achievement becomes a starting point for reflecting on how documentary photography changed over two decades and how it can function as a living social practice. The projects on show form a panorama of different models of collaboration: between photographers, the subjects of the pictures, and curators.

Sputnik Photos was founded in 2006. Over time the group’s membership changed, eventually forming the present six-person team: Jan Brykczyński, Karolina Gembara, Michał Łuczak, Rafał Milach, Adam Pańczuk and Agnieszka Rayss.

What to expect

The exhibition is not a conventional retrospective but a reflection on how documentary photography changed over two decades. The projects on show form a panorama of different models of collaboration - between makers, the subjects of the pictures, and curators - presenting photography as a living social practice. The collective’s current members are Jan Brykczyński, Karolina Gembara, Michał Łuczak, Rafał Milach, Adam Pańczuk and Agnieszka Rayss.

Tickets, opening hours, and current details are on the Museum of Photography in Krakow website.

Museum profile: Museum of Photography in Krakow (MuFo).