Between Architecture, Photography, and Life Experience - Interview with Joanna Pianka

As long as I don’t have to film or photograph today.

Could you briefly introduce yourself?

Yes, hello, I’m Joanna Pianka. I mainly work as a photographer in the field of art and cultural documentation. But I’m also a visual artist, working interdisciplinarily between architecture, urban space, and society, using photography as my medium.

What did you study at the Academy?

I studied Art and Architecture, with many different professors and over a rather long period of time. I also ventured into the field of fine arts — I spent one semester in the photography class. I attended a summer school at Humboldt University in Berlin on Metropolitan Studies, so something related to urban space, and I regularly attended courses at other universities as well.

What did you do after your studies?

Well, “after my studies” doesn’t really apply to me in the usual sense because my educational path was somewhat different. I studied for a long time, partly due to my caregiving responsibilities as a mother and family carer. At the same time, I had to work. But that also opened up new possibilities for me. I actually started in very traditional cultural jobs — museum supervision and similar roles, later administrative work in cultural associations. That complemented my studies quite well; I tried to create a mutual exchange between what I learned academically and what I did professionally. At some point, I became frustrated with the architecture program because it was very demanding and essentially designed as a full-time course. I realized that with photography, I could take on shorter but more intense assignments, and I already had the skills for that, thanks to what I learned at the Academy. That allowed me to manage my time much better. Working in an architecture office wasn’t really an option at that point — and to be honest, I hadn’t started my architecture degree with the goal of sitting in an office anyway.

How has your degree influenced your current work?

I have to say, the architecture program — especially in that interdisciplinary environment at the Academy — brought something that I deeply value: the ability to see things as part of a coherent whole. It gave me tools that are actually essential for project management, a clear and precise language for talking about my work and presenting myself. I learned to speak in front of an audience, to focus my projects, to present ideas, and to analyze topics in depth.

Along the way, I also developed a skill set in various computer programs and other tools that have taken me far artistically and given me professional flexibility that I probably wouldn’t have gained from another degree. I still notice it — whether I’m preparing exhibitions or taking on more complex assignments — that this way of thinking and this mindset are incredibly helpful, even though for a long time I didn’t directly work in architecture. That has changed somewhat now: I’m currently involved in public art projects, contributing that way of thinking, and occasionally even engaging again in design and more classical architectural tasks to help move projects forward.

Thank you. That was great.

Yes, as I said — I can talk, when I want to.