ABOUT | Michael Borek

Michael Borek presents his photography project about the fate of his father and grandparents during the Holocaust in a group exhibition of the second generation Holocaust survivors Art and the Demands of Memory at the Katzen Gallery in the American University Museum in Washington, D.C. The panel discussion and preview of the exhibition will be held on February 7, 2-4pm, and official opening of the exhibition will be on February 10, 6-9pm. The exhibition closes on May 19, 2024.

US EMBASSY PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

April 29, 2013

This video was shot during the opening of the retrospective exhibition of Michael Borek held at the American Center at the US Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic, on April 29, 2013. At this exhibition Borek showed his works from the following projects: Wide Asleep/Half Asleep, Urbania, Scranton Lace, and What Would Sudek Do?

Video courtesy of Jan Patrik Krásný.

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PECHA KUCHA NIGHT, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

April 24, 2013

Michael Borek presented his Scranton Lace project during the Pecha Kucha Night program in Prague, Czech Republic, on April 24, 2013. Pecha Kucha uses a format during which each of the presenters shows 20 slides and each is displayed for 20 seconds.

Video courtesy of Pecha Kucha Night Prague.


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SELECTED EXHIBITIONS AND AWARDS

2019

Prague Water Treatment Industrial Monument, Czech Republic (group – M Artist Association)

172 Gallery, Klatovy, Czech Republic (group – M Artist Association)
Curator: Václav Špale

2018

Palmovka Synagogue, Prague, Czech Republic (solo)
Curator: Václav Špale

Multiple Exposures Gallery, Alexandria, VA: Aimless Walk Reprise (solo)

2017

Redline Contemporary Art Center, Denver, CO: Month of Photography (featured artist, Treachery of Images) Curator: Mark Sink, Denver Redline Contemporary Art Center

Klompching Gallery, New York City, NY: Fresh 2017 (Online Showcase, Treachery of Images) Curators: W.M. Hunt and Darren Ching

CCBC’s Institute of Art Design and Interactive Media, Cattonsville Gallery, Baltimore, MD: We the People (featured artist, Treachery of Images)

2016

National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC: Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition (semi-finalist)

American Center for Physics, College Park, MD: LightWeight (with Craig Cahoon and Robert Wechsler) Curator: Sarah Tanguy, Art in the Embassies

Multiple Exposures Gallery, Alexandria, VA: Treachery of Images: The White House (solo)

2015

BBLA Gallery in the Bohemian National Hall, New York, NY: What Would Sudek Do? (solo)

Cue Art Foundation, New York, NY: Country, Home (group) Curator: Kayleigh Bryant Greenwell

Fotoweek DC, Washington, DC: Places of DC, 1^st prize (group)

Multiple Exposures Gallery, Alexandria, VA: Photo’15 (group)
Curator: Sarah Greenough, Senior Curator and Head, Department of Photographs, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

2014

Czech Embassy, Washington, DC: They Never Update the Lists (solo)

US Point and Research Educational Library, Pilsner, Czech Republic: Wide Asleep/Half Awake (solo)

Multiple Exposures Gallery, Alexandria, VA: Invitational Photography Exhibit Factory (group)
Curator: Jack Rasmussen, Director and Curator, American University Museum, Washington, DC

2013

American Center at the US Embassy, Prague, Czech Republic: Wide Asleep/Half Awake (solo)

Multiple Exposures Gallery, Alexandria, VA: What Would Sudek Do? (solo)

Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, VA: Options 2013 (15th biennial exhibition of the WPA)
Curator: Gerald Ross, Maryland Institute College of Art, Washington Project for the Arts

Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, DC: Auction Gala (group) Curator: Klaus Ottman, Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, and others

2012

Maryland State Arts Council: 2012 Individual Artist Award (grant)

Multiple Exposures Gallery, Alexandria, VA: Fotographers at the Factory (group)
Curator: Brooks Jensen (LensWork Publishing)

2011

Fotoweek DC, Washington, DC: International Awards Competition, Fine Art Category (2^nd prize) (group)

Multiple Exposures Gallery, Alexandria, VA: Effective Immediately (solo)

Artishpere, Arlington, VA: Photo 11: Annual Juried Mid Atlantic Photo Exhibition (group) Curator: Amanda Maddox, Corcoran Gallery of Art

Flash Foto DC, Crystal City, VA: Juried Photography Exhibition (group) Curator: Philip Brookman, Corcoran Gallery of Art

Mirrors to the World, Photoworks, MD: Invitational Exhibition (group)

Curator: Frank van Riper, Photoworks Gallery

Dumbarton Church, Washington, DC: Wide Asleep/Half Awake (solo)

Curator: Ginny Barnes, Dumbarton Concert Gallery

Viridian Artists, New York, NY: 1^st International Juried Photography Exhibition (group)

Curator: Elisabeth Sussman, Whitney Museum of American Art

Washington Project for the Arts, Washington, DC: Auction Gala (group)

Curator: Milena Kalinovska, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and others

Soho Photo Gallery, New York, NY: Krappy Kamera International Juried Competition (group)

Curators: Phillip S. Block and Steve Rooney, International Center of Photography

Project Basho, Philadelphia, PA: Onward 11 (group)

Curator: Larry Fink, Photographer

2010

Photoworks, Washington, DC: Fotoweek DC 2010 Photo Slam (3^rd Prize) (juried competition)

RayKo Photo Center, San Francisco, CA: International Plastic Camera Show (group, featured artist)

Curator: Ann Jastrab, Gallery Director, RayKo Photo Center

ArtSpace, Richmond, VA: Strassen Kunst (Honorary Mention) (group)

Curator: Martin McFadden, President, ArtSpace

1212 Gallery, Richmond, VA: Half Awake (Night) (three-person exhibition)

2009

Lyceum Theater Gallery, San Diego, CA: The Art of the Photography Show (group)

Curator: Charlotte Cotton, Head of the Photography Department, Los Angeles County Museum of Art

12 12 Gallery, Richmond, VA: 2009 National Juried Photography Exhibition (group)

Curator: Julian Cox, Curator of Photography, High Museum of Art, Atlanta

RayKo Photo Center, San Francisco, CA: It‘s Still Life (group)

Curator: Ann Jastrab, Gallery Director, RayKo Photo Center

Art Space, Richmond, VA: Radius 250 (Honorary Mention) (group)

Curator: Marlene Rothacker, Director of Exhibitions, International Art & Artists

Multiple Exposures Gallery, Alexandria, VA: The Bridges of Montgomery County (solo)

Photoworks, Glen Echo, MD: Wide Asleep-Half Awake (solo)

2008

The Embassy of the Czech Republic, Washington, DC: Wide Asleep (solo)

Ellipse Art Center, Arlington, VA: Photo 08 (group)

Curator: David Griffin, Director of Photography, National Geographic

Fotoweek DC Headquarters, Washington, DC: International Exhibition (group)

The Art League, Alexandria, VA: Fotoweek DC Exhibition (Best in Show Award) (group)

Curators: James Steele, Photographer, and Craig Sterling, Photographer)

VCU Medical Center, Richmond, VA (group)

Target Gallery, Alexandria, VA (group)

Curator: Stephen Bennett Phillips, Fine Arts Program Director, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and others

2007

Viridian Artists, New York, NY: 18th National Juried Exhibition (group)

Curator: Charlotta Kotik, Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York, NY

Manhattan Arts International, New York, NY: 24th Anniversary Competition (Best in Photography Award) (group)

Curator: Renée Phillips, Founder and Director, Manhattan Arts International

Cooperstown Art Association, Cooperstown, NY: 72nd Annual National (New Genre Prize) (group)

Curator: Felicia Blum, Associate Museum Educator, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, and Walter Dusenbery, Sculptor

Art Works, Richmond, VA: Radius 250 (group)

Curator: Ragan Cole-Cunningham, Director of Exhibitions, Contemporary Art Center of Virginia, and Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles

Multiple Exposures Gallery, Alexandria, VA: Words Left Over (solo)

Photoworks, Glen Echo, MD: Urbania (two-person exhibition with Michael Lang)

KNEW Gallery – Georgetown, Washington, DC: Photo-Rama (group)

Curator: Fernando Batista, Director, KNEW Gallery

Photographer’s Forum Magazine, Santa Barbara, CA: 27th Annual Contest (Honorary Mention) (group)

Jurors: Mark Takeuchi, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA, and Paul Leibhardt, Brooks Institute of Photography, Santa Barbara, CA

12 12 Gallery, Richmond, VA: 2007 National Juried Exhibition (Honorary Mention) (group)

Curator: Lee Hansley, Raleigh Arts Commission, Raleigh, NC

artKudos, International Juried Art Competition and Exhibition (group)

Curator: Peter Trippi, Editor, Fine Art Connoisseur

Axis Gallery, Sacramento, CA: 2007 Annual Juried Exhibition (group)

Curator: Renny Pritikin, Director of Richard L. Nelson Gallery, University of California, Davis, CA

Nelson Fine Art Gallery, Lexington, VA: 8th Annual Juried Show – Interior Spaces II (group)

Curator: Amy Finkbeiner, Artist.

Rehoboth Art League, Rehoboth Beach, DE: 2nd Biennial Open Juried Exhibition (group)

Curator: Jack Rasmussen, Director and Curator, American University Museum, Washington, DC

The Multiple Exposures Gallery presents an exhibition of 23 new photographs from Prague, Czech Republic, by Michael Borek, entitled Aimless Walk Reprise (Dock by Crestyl). The opening reception will take place on Sunday, September 16, 2-4 pm. The exhibition will be held September 4 – October 14, 2018 at Studio #312 in the Torpedo Factory Art Center, at 105 N. Union Street, Alexandria, VA 22132. The exhibition was selected as Critic’s Pick by Louis Jacobson and reviewed in the Washington City Paper.

SERPENS Association, Prague, Czech Republic, presents From the White House to Libeň, an exhibition of 44 photographs by Michael Borek. The opening reception will be held in Palmovka Synagogue on August 28 at 6pm. Zdeněk Gerych will introduce the exhibition, and will be followed by a musical performance by Jiří Korman and Company. The exhibition will be open Monday – Saturday 1-7 pm from August 29 till September 22. The Palmovka Synagogue is located at Ludmilina 601/4, Prague 8, Metro line B, Palmovka stop. Michael Borek was interviewed by Czech Radio Vltava, which also reviewed this exhibition. Aktuálně.cz published a profile of Michael Borek and a review of this exhibition. The photographs from the opening can be seen here.

Michael Borek’s project Treachery of Images was profiled by AINT-BAD, an independent publisher of new photographic art.

Four works from Michael Borek’s project Treachery of Images: The White House were selected for the exhibition We the People held at Catonsville Gallery of the CCBC’s Institute of Art Design and Interactive Media in Baltimore. The exhibition was held from June 26 to Sept. 22, 2017. The gallery is located at 800 South Rolling Road, Baltimore, MD 21228.

Michael Borek was selected to be one of the featured artists at the Month of Photography in Denver, Colorado. He showed part of his project Treachery of Images dealing with the depiction of symbols of political power in Washington, DC. His photographs were exhibited at the Redline Contemporary Art Center. The exhibition was reviewed by Denver Post, One Good Eye *-), and Westword.

Michael Borek was invited to exhibit together with nine other featured alumni artists at the 10th anniversary plastic camera show in Rayko Gallery in San Francisco. The opening reception was held on March 1, 6-8pm, and the exhibition was open March 1-April 23, 2017.

Sarah Tanguy, the guest curator of the American Center for Physics, presented the exhibition of Michael Borek, Craig Cahoon, and Robert Wechsler, entitled LightWeight. Michael Borek showed 24 photographs from several of his projects. The opening reception was held on October 18, 2016, 5:30 – 7:30 pm, with gallery talk at 6:15 pm. The American Center for Physics is located at One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740. For viewing information, call Eva Adams at 301.209.3125. The exhibition was open October 18, 2016 – April 14, 2017.

The Multiple Exposures Gallery presented an exhibition of 18 new photographs of Michael Borek entitled Treachery of Images: The White House. The exhibition took place March 29 – May 8, 2016 at Studio #312 in the Torpedo Factory Art Center, at 105 N. Union Street, Alexandria, VA 22132.

In 2016, Michael Borek was selected as a semifinalist of the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.

One photograph of Michael Borek was selected for the exhibition Photo’15 juried by Sarah Greenough, Senior Curator and Head, Department of Photographs, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. The show took place at the Multiple Exposures Gallery, Alexandria, VA, October 20 – November 29, 2015.

Two Michael Borek’s photographs were selected by the curator Kayleigh Bryant-Greenwell for the exhibition Country, Home, in the Cue Art Foundation on 137 West 25th Street, New York, NY 10001. The exhibition was held September 5 – October 10, 2015. In her curator’s essay, Kayleigh Bryant-Greenwell wrote the following about Michael Borek photographs: “Borek’s scenes vigorously bring the viewer out of America and into his place of communist, often bleak, origin. His series of captured fences and the title ‘And They Make Good Neighbors’ considers boundaries, belonging, relationships in a direct engagement with the tension of looking in and looking out. His tightly cropped frames limit the contextualization of the scene depicted so often that the viewer doesn’t know if they are looking out or looking in.”

On August 23, 2015, the Daily Mail published a photo essay on Michael Borek’s Scranton Lace project.

On July 22, 2015, Michael Borek’s Scranton Lace project was covered by James Estrin in New York Times Lens Blog and a on July 24, 2015, 6 photos from this project were published in the International New York Times.

BBLA Gallery in the Bohemian National Hall (321 East 73rd Street, New York City, NY 10021) presented an exhibition of photographs by Michael Borek. In his first solo show in New York City, entitled What Would Sudek Do?, Borek pays homage to the famous Czech photographer Josef Sudek, reflecting on beauty of places that people can see every day, but no longer notice. The exhibition was held from July 7 to August 3, 2015.

Michael Borek’s photo Treachery of Images #4547 won first prize in the FotoWeekDC 2015 competition Places of DC. The opening of the exhibition was held on July 2, 2015, at the W hotel in downtown DC at 515 15th street, NW.

The Embassy of the Czech Republic in Washington, DC, presented a solo photography show of Michael Borek entitled They Never Update the Lists. The exhibition addressed the themes of alienation and absurdity, and it commemorated the 90th anniversary of death of Franz Kafka. The opening reception was held on June 12, 2014. The Czech Embassy is located at 3900 Spring of Freedom Street, NW, Washington, DC 20008.

The US Embassy in the Czech Republic, US Point and and the Education and Research Library on the Pilsen Region presented a solo photography exhibition of Michael Borek entitled Wide Asleep/Half Awake. The exhibition was held in the the Europa House Gallery, nám. Republiky 12, Plzeň, Czech Republic, May 6 – 30, 2014.

Fine press book and editions publisher of fine art photography Vela Noche selected 5 photographs of Michael Borek for a portfolio of small prints available for a purchase as a set.

The Multiple Exposures Gallery presented an exhibition of 25 new works of Michael Borek entitled What Would Sudek Do? The exhibition was held June 18 – July 29, 2013. The gallery is located at Studio #312 in the Torpedo Factory Art Center, at 105 N. Union Street, Alexandria, VA 22132.

US Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic, presented a retrospective exhibition of Michael Borek’s photographs at the American Center, Tržiště 13, Prague 1, Czech Republic. Click here to view the the video from the opening reception, which was held on April 29, 2013. The exhibition was open till June 21, 2013. In connection with this exhibition, the Czech newspapers Hospodářské noviny published a profile of Michael Borek and Právo reviewed this exhibition.

Michael Borek presented his project Scranton Lace shot at an abandoned lace factory at the Pecha Kucha Night in Prague, Czech Republic, on April 24, 2013.

Michael Borek’s portfolio was selected by Gerald Ross, Director of Exhibitions at Maryland Institute College of Art, for Options 2013, the fifteenth Washington Project for the Arts biennial exhibition of artists from Maryland, Virginia, and District of Columbia. The exhibition was held at the Arlington Arts Center, 3550 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia April 10-June 9, 2013.

Three photographs of Michael Borek from his Scranton Lace series were selected by Klaus Ottmann, Director of the Center for the Study of Modern Art and Curator at Large at the Phillips Collection, for the annual Washington Project for the Arts auction. The auction gala was held at 64 New York Avenue, NE, Washington, DC, on March 16, 2013.

Arlington Arts Center presented Michael Borek’s exhibition Effective Immediately as a part of its Spring Solos 2012 series. The exhibition was open April 4 – June 10, 2012 and the gallery talk was held on May 19. Arlington Arts Center is located at 3550 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201, phone 703.248.6800. Smaller version of this exhibition presented in the fall 2011 by the Multiple Exposures Gallery was picked by Louis Jacobson from the Washington City Paper for his list of the best 10 photographic exhibitions in the Washington, DC, area in 2011. Many pictures from the Scranton Lace portfolio were also selected for juried shows, including by Elisabeth Sussman, Whitney Museum of American Art; Philip Brookman, Corcoran Gallery of Art; Milena Kalinovska, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden; and Amanda Maddox, J.Paul Getty Museum. The exhibited photographs were taken in an abandoned lace factory in Scranton, PA. The title of the show comes from an announcement made in May 2002, by the vice president of Scranton Lace Co. He called all employees together in the middle of their shift to break the news that – effective immediately – the factory was closing. Effectively immediately, the employees lost their jobs and livelihoods, and the gradual decay began.

Maryland State Arts Council has selected Michael Borek to receive a 2012 individual Artist Award in Visual Arts: Photography.

Michael Borek was awarded second prize in the International Awards Competition in the fine art category of FotoWeek DC 2011. FotoWeek 2011 published Borek’s profile on its blog.

Michael Borek was recently interviewed by the Washington City Paper. He talked to Louis Jacobson from the ArtsDesk about his life in general and in photography in particular, including his latest Scranton Lace project. This project was also the subject of an article about his photography written by Josh McAuliffe for the Scranton Times.

Michael Borek was interviewed by the Lauren Henkin during Photolucida 2011. You can listen to this interview at Photo Radio.

Multiple Exposures Gallery published an interview with Michael Borek in its blog. He talks about his creative process and how he edits his work before he submits it to competitions.

Michael Borek was be one of the presenters during the Capitol Pecha Kucha Night. The event was held on November 8, at FotoWeek DC Central (1800 L St., NW), and Borek talked about his photographs from the Scranton Lace factory.

On Saturday, November 5, an opening reception was held for an exhibition of works by Michael Borek, Stephen Carroll, and Victoria Porter at the Glen Echo Photoworks Gallery. The title of Michael Borek’s exhibition is Effective Immediately (Later On), and he was showing photographs from the Scranton Lace project that have not previously been exhibited. The exhibition was held at the Photoworks Gallery @ Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Boulevard, and it was open November 5 – December 5, 2011. This exhibition presented three winners of 2010 Photoworks’ first-ever Photo Slam at DC’s Busboys & Poets.

On Saturday, October 8, 2011, opening reception was held for Michael Borek’s solo exhibition entitled Effective Immediately. The exhibition was held at the Multiple Exposures Gallery at Torpedo Factory Art Center, Studio 312, 105 N. Union Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, phone: 703.683.2205, The exhibition was open October 4 – November 7, 2011. In this solo exhibition, Michael Borek showed over 20 of his new photographs shot in an abandoned lace factory in Scranton, Pennsylvania.