Adam Pańczuk (1978) was born in Biała Podlaska and currently lives in Warsaw. In his work he travels to wherever he finds an interesting subject. He studied at the University of Economics and photography at the Multimedia Communication Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznań. With his projects Pańczuk seems to be asking questions, at the same time directly and metaphorically, about identity, consciousness and attitude towards life of the people he meets along the way. His unique skill to tell gripping yet intimate stories with images has won him many prestigious awards to date, such as the Magnum Expression Award, Sony World Photography Awards, PHotoEspana (PHE) OjodePez Award for Human Values, Grand Press Photo, BZWBK to name but a few. Pańczuk is a Polish Ministry of Culture grantee. "Karczeb" denotes a tree trunk with roots still in the ground that is very hard to remove. It is also a local name for a group of people inhabiting the Podlasie region of Poland who live according to the rhythm of nature and in close relationship with the land. Adam Pańczuk watched and documented this unique bond and approach to life over the years and succeeded in creating a series of strong perplexing portraits. There is a story that goes far beyond the frame of every picture. The work has the air of magic realism which allows for a broad reception and endless interpretation and it offers an alternative to the stereotypical view of the Polish countryside. The project received honourable mention at the Magnum Expression Award 2009 and Sony World Photography Award 2009 contests.