MuFo's stated mission is to care for the cultural heritage entrusted to it, and to make clear the role of the past and memory in contemporary society. To pursue this mission, the museum's main branch is also the site of lively meetings, lectures and workshops where an exchange of views on contemporary problems of visuality and cultural canons is already taking place. The collection of works at MuFo aims to encapsulate the idea of photography as a cultural phenomenon, significantly defining the history of science, media, practices related to commemoration and documentation of the past, propaganda, advertising, and, of course, art. To some degree, the institution acknowledges that the idea of the photographic medium also stretches into areas that touch on the idea of the 'image' more broadly, to which they spout an 'original concept' of the museum based on the principle of friendliness to the viewer and openness to their individual perspective.
Average visiting time: 90mins.
Comments
Sam McClintock
Newark, NJ
I visited this museum when I was in Kraków because I'm interested in photography. I wish I had taken the editor's advice and gone to the temporary exhibits. Like most tourists (I assume), I headed straight for the main exhibit. While I enjoyed that it kind of just left me wanting to see some actual photography (and not on a computer - there are several historical collections you can browse on screens in the main exhibit). Unfortunately I didn't have time. As the editor says, people interested in photogrpahy exhibits should skip the main exhibit which is more about the science, history and cultural impact of photography. If you want the art of photography, try a different exhibit.