Rafał Milach was born in 1978 in Poland, and grew up during the collapse of the Soviet bloc. He studied graphic design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice, Poland, before “falling in love” with photography the first time he picked up a camera. He joined Magnum Photos as a nominee in 2018, became an associate member in 2020, and was voted in as a full member in 2023. He is currently a professor at the Krzysztof Kieślowski Film School in Katowice.
Milach’s work explores themes of history and transformation, particularly within the former Soviet bloc, using a myriad of mediums such as photography, conceptual art, books, video and curation. Though he initially tackled subjects through a traditional documentary perspective, his later projects draw on a more conceptual approach.
His works have been widely exhibited in Poland and worldwide, and can be found in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art, the ING Polish Art Foundation, Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts in Japan, and Brandts in Odense, Denmark.
Ania Nałęcka-Milach is an award-winning photo book designer. Her interdisciplinary experience ranges from visual arts to printmaking, and advertising (senior art director and head of design). In her design philosophy and method, book form conveys and extends visual storytelling. Designing a photo book is far more a creation of experience for viewer-reader than creating an object itself. She has been working with photographers and institutions from all over the world and total project count is approaching 100 books.
