Back
About project
GAGAMODELS 2021 Calendar
Provocative. Strong in its form. Naked. Funny. Full of contrasts.
Introducing the GAGAMODELS 2021 Calendar.
Kamil Kotarba is the author of the photosession in which seven models participated. The photographs are full of unfettered female expression and fun. The slightly dark scenery has a touch of humor.
The autumn events in Poland (women on strike due to strict abortion laws) that followed the shooting prompted us to change our plans and to allocate the total income from this year’s calendar sale to support women’s rights. Both the models and the photographer enthusiastically accepted the idea.
The beneficiary of the funds raised from the sale of the 8th edition of the GAGAMODELS calendar is the WOMEN'S RIGHTS CENTER, which mission for 26 years has been to counteract all forms of violence and discrimination against women in private, public and professional life.
The Women’s Right Center writes about its activities as follows:
“ In our daily work we combine various forms of activity. On one hand, we provide comprehensive support (legal, psychological and professional consultations, assistance in courts, safe shelter) to women whose rights are violated, who experience violence or discrimination, and on the other hand, we try to influence the law makers and the ways law is implemented. Also educational services (training, workshops, publications) play an important role in our activity."
#mybodymychoice is a breakthrough in women's struggle. Protests all over Poland, in big cities and small towns, involving hundreds of thousands of people, have shown how powerful women are.
Together with the GAGAMODELS team and the models participating in this project, we are proud that by selling the calendar we can contribute to the fight against social inequality, although at the same time the fact that in the middle of Europe in the 21st century there is such a need saddens us. Thank you for your support.
In order to purchase one of a hundred copies of the limited edition calendar and to support women's rights, a minimum of PLN 333 must be paid to the account of the Women's Rights Center, ul. Wilcza 60 lok. 19 00-679 Warsaw
PL 59 1020 1156 0000 7102 0059 9241
Transfer description: Calendar Gagamodels - Poznań branch
CREATORS STATEMENTS
- When I closed the production of the Calendar for 2020, I already knew that I would invite Kamil to the next edition. His viewing of photography as an art surprised me for the first time in years. The freshness he brought into the sessions and the kind of analysis of the model he photographs for his projects and campaigns is unprecedented. I joked once that when he does the first Alessandro Michele shoot for Gucci, he has to give me an autographed photo before the campaign comes out. I trusted him completely not knowing much about the concept, location or selection of models. He made a joke about the naked body, having a great time doing it. By exaggerating, he composed a perfect photograph. This is what I expected. I am all the more glad that the seemingly meaningless body play could gain a stronger expression later. And so it happened. The woman in our photos is free.
Kasia Sawicka, Gagamodels
- The opportunity to work on this project gives me great gratitude. One of the most beautiful things in life is using your own space to create goodness which multiplies. This intention is manifested in this year's Gaga calendar. The female body and sexuality are an eternal battleground, which is why it is so important to regain control and navigate it in art.
Joanne Kocyła, model
- You see what we decide for ourselves. Our bodies. In troubled, violent times, when oppression is introduced into our lives under a deafening wave of propaganda, it is important to give the female body a safe corner. A refuge in art. This calendar does just that.
Jagoda Łętowska, model
- To be honest, I wasn’t always convinced of my own body. In fact, never for one hundred percent. Over the years of self development, I believe I’ve reached a relatively healthy approach. In the meantime, my body has gained quite a few tattoos, which was therapeutic for me as I covered my acne scars. Yesterday I received the photos from Kamil. I stand among beautiful women, the most beautiful in Poland, and I have come to the conclusion that I fit them. Even though I'm completely different, I fit in. I had some concerns about being compared with my distinctive appearance. In the calendar, I am a naked human among other naked people and I am simply struck by the beauty of a human being. I have linked my life with art. I have been dealing with nudity for years and I stopped treating it in a sexual context a long time ago, so I like our naturalness. I really appreciate that the calendar has a lot of aesthetics that I like in contemporary art work - there is a lot of joke and hence our unforced freedom in photos, which I believe is often missing in fashion. A few weeks ago I went out to the streets fighting for our freedom, and now I'm glad that I can also support women from the Women's Rights Center with my work.
Angela Bilińska, model
- Women's rights - words that this year in our country acquired a special meaning. This year's Gagamodels calendar is different from the previous ones. It illustrates strength, unity, perseverance, courage, manifesto. These emotions accompanied me while creating the eighth edition of the calendar. Being part of this year's project is a great honor, giving hope for a final victory.
Marta Kowalczyk, model
- Women have always been a great inspiration for me. I love and admire them. Nothing can match a woman's strength and courage. For several weeks I have been forced to fight for my basic rights, for the rights of my sister, mother, friend and neighbour... This project is an image of mutual support and love for me. Let's take eachothers hands, we'll never go alone.
Maria Konieczna, model
- I am very pleased that Gagamodels has been raising such a noble initiative as a charity calendar for many years. This year, it contributes to the response to the crisis related to women's rights in Poland. Foucault pointed out that the greatest disobedience of an individual to authority and the strongest step towards regaining autonomy is regaining one's sexuality. This calendar is about it. About aesthetic and normal nudity. About blowing away the ethereal shield of extremely prudish, pointless shame hanging over our society.
Alma Asuai, model
- This year's Gagamodels calendar is the most important edition for me so far, because we support the fight of all women for the rights to our own bodies. In the photos we are all naked, we show ourselves in our natural state to oppose the eternal sexualization of our bodies and showing the strength that is in the female body.
Zofia Wróbel, model
- The main inspiration for the session was the location that I chose some time ago and it was waiting for its moment. After doing the research, I knew this was it. An amusement park located in a forest near Warsaw. Full of weirdness - from huge mushrooms, through dinosaurs, to Maja the bee from children’s cartoon. In the session, I wanted to mix up the convention - some horror, some comedy. We were shooting at the beginning of September and the weather was not comforting, but despite the rain and low temperature, we fought to the end. A big thank you to the models and the team for their commitment and positive energy, without which it wouldn’t have been possible.
Kamil Kotarba, photographer & art director
Special thanks:
Piotr Kamiński & Caroline Grzelak
Rafał Karwowski Dzielnica Filmowa
Maciej Butrymowicz Zero,2
Andrzej Krzewina Drukarnia Interak
Beata Kossakowska Pakato
Tomek Grobelny
Provocative. Strong in its form. Naked. Funny. Full of contrasts.
Introducing the GAGAMODELS 2021 Calendar.
Kamil Kotarba is the author of the photosession in which seven models participated. The photographs are full of unfettered female expression and fun. The slightly dark scenery has a touch of humor.
The autumn events in Poland (women on strike due to strict abortion laws) that followed the shooting prompted us to change our plans and to allocate the total income from this year’s calendar sale to support women’s rights. Both the models and the photographer enthusiastically accepted the idea.
The beneficiary of the funds raised from the sale of the 8th edition of the GAGAMODELS calendar is the WOMEN'S RIGHTS CENTER, which mission for 26 years has been to counteract all forms of violence and discrimination against women in private, public and professional life.
The Women’s Right Center writes about its activities as follows:
“ In our daily work we combine various forms of activity. On one hand, we provide comprehensive support (legal, psychological and professional consultations, assistance in courts, safe shelter) to women whose rights are violated, who experience violence or discrimination, and on the other hand, we try to influence the law makers and the ways law is implemented. Also educational services (training, workshops, publications) play an important role in our activity."
#mybodymychoice is a breakthrough in women's struggle. Protests all over Poland, in big cities and small towns, involving hundreds of thousands of people, have shown how powerful women are.
Together with the GAGAMODELS team and the models participating in this project, we are proud that by selling the calendar we can contribute to the fight against social inequality, although at the same time the fact that in the middle of Europe in the 21st century there is such a need saddens us. Thank you for your support.
In order to purchase one of a hundred copies of the limited edition calendar and to support women's rights, a minimum of PLN 333 must be paid to the account of the Women's Rights Center, ul. Wilcza 60 lok. 19 00-679 Warsaw
PL 59 1020 1156 0000 7102 0059 9241
Transfer description: Calendar Gagamodels - Poznań branch
CREATORS STATEMENTS
- When I closed the production of the Calendar for 2020, I already knew that I would invite Kamil to the next edition. His viewing of photography as an art surprised me for the first time in years. The freshness he brought into the sessions and the kind of analysis of the model he photographs for his projects and campaigns is unprecedented. I joked once that when he does the first Alessandro Michele shoot for Gucci, he has to give me an autographed photo before the campaign comes out. I trusted him completely not knowing much about the concept, location or selection of models. He made a joke about the naked body, having a great time doing it. By exaggerating, he composed a perfect photograph. This is what I expected. I am all the more glad that the seemingly meaningless body play could gain a stronger expression later. And so it happened. The woman in our photos is free.
Kasia Sawicka, Gagamodels
- The opportunity to work on this project gives me great gratitude. One of the most beautiful things in life is using your own space to create goodness which multiplies. This intention is manifested in this year's Gaga calendar. The female body and sexuality are an eternal battleground, which is why it is so important to regain control and navigate it in art.
Joanne Kocyła, model
- You see what we decide for ourselves. Our bodies. In troubled, violent times, when oppression is introduced into our lives under a deafening wave of propaganda, it is important to give the female body a safe corner. A refuge in art. This calendar does just that.
Jagoda Łętowska, model
- To be honest, I wasn’t always convinced of my own body. In fact, never for one hundred percent. Over the years of self development, I believe I’ve reached a relatively healthy approach. In the meantime, my body has gained quite a few tattoos, which was therapeutic for me as I covered my acne scars. Yesterday I received the photos from Kamil. I stand among beautiful women, the most beautiful in Poland, and I have come to the conclusion that I fit them. Even though I'm completely different, I fit in. I had some concerns about being compared with my distinctive appearance. In the calendar, I am a naked human among other naked people and I am simply struck by the beauty of a human being. I have linked my life with art. I have been dealing with nudity for years and I stopped treating it in a sexual context a long time ago, so I like our naturalness. I really appreciate that the calendar has a lot of aesthetics that I like in contemporary art work - there is a lot of joke and hence our unforced freedom in photos, which I believe is often missing in fashion. A few weeks ago I went out to the streets fighting for our freedom, and now I'm glad that I can also support women from the Women's Rights Center with my work.
Angela Bilińska, model
- Women's rights - words that this year in our country acquired a special meaning. This year's Gagamodels calendar is different from the previous ones. It illustrates strength, unity, perseverance, courage, manifesto. These emotions accompanied me while creating the eighth edition of the calendar. Being part of this year's project is a great honor, giving hope for a final victory.
Marta Kowalczyk, model
- Women have always been a great inspiration for me. I love and admire them. Nothing can match a woman's strength and courage. For several weeks I have been forced to fight for my basic rights, for the rights of my sister, mother, friend and neighbour... This project is an image of mutual support and love for me. Let's take eachothers hands, we'll never go alone.
Maria Konieczna, model
- I am very pleased that Gagamodels has been raising such a noble initiative as a charity calendar for many years. This year, it contributes to the response to the crisis related to women's rights in Poland. Foucault pointed out that the greatest disobedience of an individual to authority and the strongest step towards regaining autonomy is regaining one's sexuality. This calendar is about it. About aesthetic and normal nudity. About blowing away the ethereal shield of extremely prudish, pointless shame hanging over our society.
Alma Asuai, model
- This year's Gagamodels calendar is the most important edition for me so far, because we support the fight of all women for the rights to our own bodies. In the photos we are all naked, we show ourselves in our natural state to oppose the eternal sexualization of our bodies and showing the strength that is in the female body.
Zofia Wróbel, model
- The main inspiration for the session was the location that I chose some time ago and it was waiting for its moment. After doing the research, I knew this was it. An amusement park located in a forest near Warsaw. Full of weirdness - from huge mushrooms, through dinosaurs, to Maja the bee from children’s cartoon. In the session, I wanted to mix up the convention - some horror, some comedy. We were shooting at the beginning of September and the weather was not comforting, but despite the rain and low temperature, we fought to the end. A big thank you to the models and the team for their commitment and positive energy, without which it wouldn’t have been possible.
Kamil Kotarba, photographer & art director
Special thanks:
Piotr Kamiński & Caroline Grzelak
Rafał Karwowski Dzielnica Filmowa
Maciej Butrymowicz Zero,2
Andrzej Krzewina Drukarnia Interak
Beata Kossakowska Pakato
Tomek Grobelny
Credits
Kamil Kotarba: Photography & Art Direction
Ola Ewa Kaźmierczak : Stylist
Ola Łęcka : Make Up
Alma Asuai: Model
Ola Ewa Kaźmierczak : Stylist
Ola Łęcka : Make Up
Alma Asuai: Model
Angela Bilińska: Model
Ava Jagoda Łętowska: Model
Maria Konieczna: Model
Marta Kowalczyk: Model
Ava Jagoda Łętowska: Model
Maria Konieczna: Model
Marta Kowalczyk: Model
Joanne Kocyła: Model
Zofia Wróbel: Model
Zofia Wróbel: Model