About this Archive

Administrative/Biographical History

Zbigniew Kotkiewicz is an interdisciplinary artist and educator based in London. He is interested in finding common denominators across different genres of photography.

Zbigniew photographed queer night life since 2013 until the Covid-19 caused shut down in March 2020. His main focus was the East London and underground techno scenes.

Two people are looking at the camera in the middle of a march. The on eon the left has long blonde hair, is wearing a dress of the trans pride colours and a trans pride mask. The other is wearing a silver sequin tops and glasses.

Over the years he regularly documented the legendary techno party Kaos held at Electrowerkz in Islington, a queer techno/electronica party Papa Loko (Apiary Studios in Hackney, Electrowerkz, The Cause in Tottenham), the queer indie nights Pink Glove (The Victoria Dalston, MOTH Club in Hackney, The Chateau in Camberwell) and Douchebag (The Star of Bethnal Green) and a literary salon Naked Boys Reading (Vogue Fabrics Dalston, Apiary Studios, Miranda Bar at Ace Hotel in Shoreditch) among other events.

He also documented many LGBTQ+ rights demos, including protests in support of the LGBTQ+ community in Poland held outside the Polish Embassy in London (2019 - 2020), the Black Trans Lives Matter event in Central London (June 2020) and the London Trans Pride march (September 2020).

In 2020 and 2021 Zbigniew was invited to talk about documenting nightlife to students attending the Business of Nightlife module at Syracuse University. In 2020 he was commissioned by Laxworks to create a photo essay about Kaos and his night life photo story "On Hold" was published in Do Gooders no 1. Also in 2020 a selection of his club photographs has been featured in Vogue’s Extreme Beauty film about Chadd Curry.

Find out more about Zbigniew's work: zkotkiewicz.com

Image: Lucia Blayke and Sakeema Peng Crook at London Trans Pride, Parliament Square, London,12th September 2020

Scope and Content

Digital photographs of attendees at various club nights including Pink Glove at Moth [Club], Kaos presents Unhuman, Pink Glove [at Moth Club], Kaos XVI Anniversary IHM, Kaos presents Kris Baha, and Kaos presents Rrose; Papa Loko, Kaos presents Teste + Reka, Douchebag, Kaos presents Silent Servant, Douchebag [post Pride Saturday], Douchebag [post Pride], Kaos presents I Hate Models + Zanias, Pink Glove [at The Victoria], Papa Loko [: Liberation with VVerses, Othon, Wandson Maxx, Dopamina & Tigox], Kaos presents [Crystal Geometry] + Morah, Kaos XV Anniversary Phase Fatale [+ Vittorio Di Mango], Papa Loko [:Unconditional with Baime, Othon, Tom & Jarrod, Dopamina], Papa Loko presents Balance [with Adelante, Othon, Tigox, Wandson Maxx], Kaos presents SHXCXCHCXSH, Kaos presents [Pandora’s Jukebox] + Hoarder, Pink Glove at The Chateau, Kaos presents Ron Morelli, Douchebag [Easter Sunday], Kaos presents Broken English Club + H[edonic]2, Douchebag [7th birthday], Kaos presents SARIN, Papa Loko [: Soul Connector with Othon, Tomkinascious, Tigox, Wandson Maxx & The Blonde Spirit], Fran and Luke’s wedding rave at Fold; digital photographs of attendees at various protests including LGBT UK & Poland United, Black Trans Lives Matter, LGBTQ+ Rights outside the Polish Embassy, Nigdy Nie Bedziesz Szla Sama outside Polish Embassy, I Am Human Solidarity Action Rainbow for Poland, Solidarity is Our Weapon outside Polish Embassy, and London Trans Pride. (2016 – 2020)