On 25 September, Hotel GEM became a meeting place for photography, sport and family stories. The opening of Karolina Skalska-Jakubaszek’s exhibition, “Movement Begins with a Parent”, brought together athletes, parents, children and everyone for whom physical activity means something more than results, training and competition.
That evening, the spaces of Hotel GEM were filled with photographs showing sport from a close and deeply personal, family perspective. There were no grand stadiums, podiums or medals. Instead, there were children taking their first steps into the world of physical activity and adults accompanying them along the way – sometimes running beside them, sometimes offering a helping hand and sometimes simply being there. It is this relationship that lies at the heart of the “Movement Begins with a Parent” project.
Its author, Karolina Skalska-Jakubaszek, is a Wrocław-based photographer, physical education teacher, mother and former FIFA international assistant referee. For many years, she observed sport from the perspective of the playing field. Today, she increasingly sees it through the viewfinder of her camera, bringing together in her photography the worlds that have long been part of her life – sport, family and childhood.
The opening evening, however, was about much more than viewing photographs. It became an opportunity to talk about how to introduce children to sport in a thoughtful way, how to support and inspire them without taking away what matters most – their natural joy of movement. Invited athletes shared their own experiences, while the conversations held throughout the evening showed that behind a child’s passion for sport, it is very often not their first coach, but their parent who plays the most important role.
There was also room for sport in its most spectacular form. Guests enjoyed a freestyle football performance, while live music added an artistic dimension to the evening. What mattered most, however, was the atmosphere of the gathering itself – conversations taking place among the photographs, entire families experiencing the exhibition together, children looking at photographs of other children and guests staying with one another far longer than the official programme required. Perhaps this is the best way to express the idea behind the exhibition. Movement begins with a parent, but over time it becomes a journey shared together.
We would like to thank Karolina Skalska-Jakubaszek for entrusting Hotel GEM with this remarkable story, all our invited guests for sharing their experiences and everyone who attended the opening for their presence and for creating the atmosphere of this special evening.
Those who were unable to attend the opening on 25 September can still see Karolina Skalska-Jakubaszek’s photographs at Hotel GEM until 15 November 2026. The exhibition is displayed in the main lobby and on the first floor.
