“Female Soul” — Magdalena Jeleń's exhibition during “WOMAN IS ME”

A woman beyond the roles, expectations and gaze of others.

Such is the heroine of the photo exhibition “Female Soul” by Magdalena Jeleń.

The vernissage will take place on 13 November at 18.00 in the main hall of the CSE “Światowid” in Elbląg, as part of the event “WOMAN TO ME — ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS OF WOMEN”. Admission to the exhibition and the vernissage is free.

Woman Seen Differently “Female Soul” is not an exhibition about a single canon of female beauty. It is a photographic story about women, their emotions, strength, tenderness and relationship with their own body. Magdalena Jeleń shows her heroines among nature — in forests, meadows, by the water, in natural light. Dresses, soft light and a fairytale atmosphere appear, but the most important thing remains always the woman standing in front of the lens.

The artist does not want to enclose her heroines in a single definition of femininity. In photographs, they can be strong and fragile at the same time, calm and full of energy, sensual and tender. Each of them has its own story and its own way of being.

Nature in these photographs is not just decoration. It becomes part of the story: a symbol of freedom, variability, strength and a return to the natural. Just as nature does not have one face, so femininity does not have to be in one form.

Not only photography However, there is more to the “Female Soul” project than just the image itself. It is a meeting of a woman with her own image.

Magdalena Jeleń is interested in what happens to a woman when she stops thinking of a photo shoot exclusively as posing. Instead of rigid positioning in front of the camera, it focuses on confidence, freedom and guidance. It's about creating a space where you can put aside everyday roles for a while and allow yourself to just be.

The camera becomes in the process an excuse to stop and look at yourself differently than usual. Without comparing yourself to others. Without constantly evaluating your own appearance. Without a look that is often more critical than we deserve.

“The Woman's Soul” is also a story about how we look at ourselves.

Magdalena Jeleń — female photographer and researcher of the female experience

Magdalena Jeleń is a female photographer, hypnotherapist and psychology student. For years she has been creating female portraits inspired by nature, light and emotions. Her photographs often balance on the border of a classic portrait and a fairy tale.

For her, however, female photography is more than an aesthetic image. She is interested in the experience of being seen and how a photo shoot can affect the way a woman perceives her own body and herself.

This topic has also become the subject of her scientific interest. As part of her master's thesis in psychology, she explores the impact of a woman's photo shoot experience on women's body image and self-esteem.

Thus, three areas meet in her work: photography, psychology and work with the subconscious. They are united by an interest in the human being and the question of how we can see ourselves beyond the critical gaze.

“What happens when a woman really lets herself see herself?” This is one of the questions that accompanies the project “Female Soul”. The exhibition invites to look at women not through the prism of age, size, role or current canon of beauty, but through their presence, emotions and individuality.

Perhaps the photographs of Magdalena Jeleń will also become an opportunity for visitors to make their own stop. To look at yourself with greater attentiveness and gentleness.

The opening of the exhibition “Female Soul” will take place on November 13, 2026 at 18.00 in the main hall of the CSE “Światowid” in Elbląg.

The exhibition is part of the three-day event “WOMAN TO ME — ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS OF WOMEN”, which will take place from 13 to 15 November 2026 at the Centre for European Meetings “Światowid” in Elbląg.