DSH ON TOUR | exhibition ALL INCLUSIVE. THE ODYSSEY OF LIEUTENANT ANDRES 1939-1947

Tomasz Wójcik and Michał Wójcik present to the public a private photo archive of their grandfather, Lieutenant Stanisław Andres, a soldier of General Władysław Anders during the war.

From the creators of the exhibition: At first glance, Stanisław Andres’s story is like thousands of other tales of soldiers and wanderers from the Second World War. The good fortune and at the same time… misfortune of Lieutenant Andres was that his surname almost matched that of General Władysław Anders, commander of the 2nd Polish Corps. Almost, because there is one barely noticeable letter that differs. Perhaps this “closeness” is why he held a somewhat privileged position in Anders’s army. He took photographs for whomever and wherever he wished, but only for himself. He was not a professional photographer but an amateur who never parted with his camera. In total, as he claimed, he made five hundred photographs, of which more than three hundred have survived to this day.

Stanisław Andres (born 1909) was mobilised in August 1939. He fought in the Polish defensive war and was taken into Soviet captivity. He narrowly escaped death in the Katyn Forest and was sent to a labour camp. Then a second miracle occurred: an amnesty and the Polish Armed Forces, when Stalin reached an agreement with the Allies. Under the Sikorski-Mayski agreement, a Polish army was formed in the Soviet Union. And it was with that army that then-Second Lieutenant Andres once again set out into the unknown.

We have called his odyssey “All inclusive”.

Joanna Kinowska, Michał Wójcik, Tomasz Wójcik

“ALL INCLUSIVE. THE ODYSSEY OF LIEUTENANT ANDRES 1939–1947”

Premiere at DSH: 7 May 2025 Concept, selection of photographs and texts: Joanna Kinowska, Michał Wójcik, Tomasz Wójcik Editing: Małgorzata Purzyńska Historical consultation of the source section: Dr Jarosław Pałka Appendix: Text: Joanna Kinowska, collaboration: Michał Wójcik, Tomasz Wójcik Editorial supervision: Magdalena Chabiera Graphic design of the catalogue: Tomasz Wójcik Translation and footnotes: Krzysztof Ścibiorski Preparation of photographs for print: Tomasz Kubaczyk Coordination of the publishing project, catalogue production: Małgorzata Purzyńska, Magdalena Stefańczyk Proofreading: Anna Kaniewska (Polish), Christopher Smith (English) Technical editing: Jacek Piotrowski Print: Drukarnia Akapit Sp. z o.o.