5th July 2019
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Adam Lach's photograph became the winner of the International Competition “Icon of 30 Years – Freedom and Solidarity”. In the opinion of the Jury, "...this photo tells a story of freedom, solidarity and independence. It shows the strength and uncompromising nature of us, Poles. It is also an expression of the growing participation of women in public life in Poland. The superbly-composed shot brings to mind the famous painting “Freedom leading the people to the barricades” by the French painter, Eugène Delacroix. In Adam Lach’s photograph, the young woman holding a flag with the word “Freedom” is almost three-dimensional. When we look at her, we are sure that she is free and independent. She does not feel the yoke, which her parents suffered under before 1989, the yoke of a regime that was totalitarian, communist and used censorship"
The award-winning photograph depicts participants in protests against reforms of the Polish judiciary; the photo was taken in July 2017 in front of the Supreme Court.