Lena Dobrowolska
- Tutor (Research)
- Digital Direction MA
Lena is an artist, filmmaker and practice-based researcher.
Lena works across lens-based media, documentary filmmaking and digital storytelling. Her research engages with the intersection of the climate crisis and human rights, political ecology and the governmentality of the climate regime under the UNFCCC.
Lena’s practice combines fieldwork, often to the frontlines of the climate crisis, with transdisciplinary collaboration with scientific, humanitarian, academic, and civil society actors and communities in the global North and South, with the intention of driving change, in the political and cultural narratives that surround climate crisis, human rights, migration and development.
Lena’s practice is policy-oriented and intends to engage with policymaking forums and processes outside of traditional art context. In 2019 she presented her work as part of COP25 in collaboration with the Platform on Disaster Displacement and Displacement Uncertain Journeys to climate negotiators, policymakers and human mobility experts.
Key details
School, Centre or Area
Gallery
More information
Research funding
Art & Citizenship Residency Grant. United Nations Perception of Change Project / The Embassy of The Foreign Artists, 2022
Energy, Technology, Chances for Survival Production Grant. Museum of Silesia, 2020
Arts Council, 2020
The Culture and Climate Change: Future Scenarios Networked Residency, 2016
Awards
Nomination & Shortlist, Abigail Cohen Fellowship in Documentary Photography, New York, 2016
Shortlisted, European Investment Bank Artists' Development Programme, Luxembourg, 2016
Current and recent projects
Lena is a PhD student at the Digital Cultures Research Centre (DCRC), University of West of England, Bristol. Lena’s UKRI-funded PhD project looks at how the use of emergent technologies and co-creation can contribute to the development of justice-led methodologies for capturing and addressing the non-economic loss and damage caused by the climate crisis. Her focus will be on capturing and addressing the loss of intangible cultural heritage and Traditional Knowledge systems through inclusive digitalisation methodologies.
Publications, exhibitions and other outcomes
(2023) Future Perfect. FotoDok. Munich, Germany
(2023) Hybrids: Forging New Realities as Counter-Narrative. Melkweg Expo. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
(2022) Hybrids: Forging New Realities as Counter-Narrative. Photo Espania. Madrid, Spain.
(2020) Future News, Fotobokfestival Oslo. Norway
(2019) UNFCCC Cop25
(2019) Future Scenarios, Porto Photography Biennale. Portugal
(2019) Tax To the Max, Noorderlicht Festival of Photography. Gronigen, The Netherlands
(2019) Future Scenarios, Kunst Haus Wien: Museum Hundertwasser. Vienna, Austria.
(2018) Future Scenarios, Unseen. Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Public Engagements/ Artists Talks/ Public Lectures
(2022) Art and ecological transitions, Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. Contemporary Art and Art Brut. Lille, France
(2022) Addressing the Climate Change-Migration Nexus Through Policy and Art. Department of Political Science, University College London. United Kingdom
(2021) Geneva Peace Talks: Recovering better for an equitable & sustainable world. Palais des Nations. Geneva, Switzerland.
(2019) Geohistory. Financial Times Weekend Festival. London, United Kingdom
(2019) Our planetary home through the lens. Royal Geographical Society/ Wilderness Festival. Oxfordshire, United Kingdom.
(2018) Artist as a climate change researcher, I-Doc's Symposium. Bristol, United Kingdom
(2017) Future Scenarios, 2 °C Festival. Arts Admin. London, United Kingdom
(2016) Data Flows: Polar Science as Catalyst for the Arts. Scott Polar Museum. Cambridge, United Kingdom.
External collaborations
Lena is co-coordinator of the Loss and Damage Collaboration’s Art and Cultural Program. In 2016 Lena was a visiting researcher at the International Centre for Climate Change and Development in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Lena regularly collaborates with a network of climate change researchers, policymakers and institutions including but not limited to The International Organization on Migration, The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, Platform on Disaster Displacement and Displacement Uncertain Journeys.
Lena has taught at leading art and design educational institutions in the UK and in Europe including London College of Communication, Central Saint Martins, Ravensbourne University, Edinburgh Napier University, Piet Zwart Institute, and University of Grenoble.