On a recent visit to Bratislava I found the Central European House of Photography hidden in a side street. It looked interesting and a bit mysterious from the outside so we paid the one euro entrance fee and started to look around at the two exhibitions over two floors. There were no other visitors there, and the lights were switched off in the rooms, we had to switch on as we entered the rooms.
The first exhibition was by Zsolt Szamody. The images are from India and China and portray a world that seems quite exotic to me. The photographer has found quirky situations and unexpected ways of looking situations, which probably is very normal to people who live there. The images are very colourful and quite beautiful to look at. They contain interesting angles and framing of the subject. For example, in one photo a person is seen in between two colourful sheets. In another image, a playing child is peeping out between to bars in a rail. The more I look at each image, the more interesting details I notice.
I think it’s a good example of how showing people in their environment, makes the images more interesting. I also like the poetic feel to his photography. There is calmness in the images, and it’s like the photographer wants to show the beauty in everyday life, which could be a back lane with a cow in India. There were no explaining notes beside the images, so we don’t know exactly where in India they were from or what the situation is depicting. It’s not meant to make a political statement of any sort. It’s up to the viewer to experience the image and interpret it on a pure aesthetic level. More of his images here.
I think it’s a good example of how showing people in their environment, makes the images more interesting. I also like the poetic feel to his photography. There is calmness in the images, and it’s like the photographer wants to show the beauty in everyday life, which could be a back lane with a cow in India. There were no explaining notes beside the images, so we don’t know exactly where in India they were from or what the situation is depicting. It’s not meant to make a political statement of any sort. It’s up to the viewer to experience the image and interpret it on a pure aesthetic level. More of his images here.
The second exhibition was by Natan Dvir and the images portrayed young people in their homes in Israel. The images are portraits of a single person often in their bedrooms at home. The environment/background makes the image very personal, as an extension of their individuality.
Out of a technical photographic point of view, the photos are not terribly interesting. The person is often placed right in the centre of the image, and I suspect an off camera flash was used. But each image has a story attached to it, describing the person’s situation, background and ambitions. Luckily the text was both in Slovak and English. The young people came from Jewish/Christian/Muslim backgrounds, some were well off, some were poor. Some had great ambitions to become doctors and lawyers, some thought their future was hopeless. Clearly the artists message here is political/sociological rather than visual. It was very interesting to read about each individual and made me think. I think it’s quite admirable work, and I think the biggest challenge in this kind of photography is to get access to people willing to be photographed and tell their story. You have to be brave!
More images here.
Out of a technical photographic point of view, the photos are not terribly interesting. The person is often placed right in the centre of the image, and I suspect an off camera flash was used. But each image has a story attached to it, describing the person’s situation, background and ambitions. Luckily the text was both in Slovak and English. The young people came from Jewish/Christian/Muslim backgrounds, some were well off, some were poor. Some had great ambitions to become doctors and lawyers, some thought their future was hopeless. Clearly the artists message here is political/sociological rather than visual. It was very interesting to read about each individual and made me think. I think it’s quite admirable work, and I think the biggest challenge in this kind of photography is to get access to people willing to be photographed and tell their story. You have to be brave!
More images here.