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‹ Photo Notes · 15 ledna, 2012
I allow myself to invite you and your friends to my next exhibition, titled Jiří Růžek – IN THE MOONLIGHT OF THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS (V LÚNĚ STŘEDOHOŘÍ), which this time takes place in my home town of Litoměřice.
Read on…
The exhibition begins with a public opening on Thursday 23 September 2010 at 6:30 p.m. in the beautiful setting of the Na Bašté Photo Gallery and will last until 4 November. The organizer is the Photo club Porta Litoměřice.
Selected photographs from 2004 – 2010 will be on view again, with roughly one third of the photographs having their premiere in Litoměřice. This year it is my fourth exhibition (the second of them solo) and probably the penultimate one.
The royal city of Litoměřice is the picturesque gateway to the Czech Central Highlands. I recently visited it after several years and at first glance I had the feeling that nothing had changed except the signs on the shops. During an hour’s walk I couldn’t stop marvelling – several long-forgotten places had turned into parks and car parks, a new home for seniors stands on the site of the former old hospital, etc. At times I had to look around for a while and think about where I actually was and what this part of the town looked like not long ago.
It is also worth mentioning that on the two days following the opening, that is 24 – 25 September, the well-known and popular Vinobraní (wine harvest festival) takes place in Litoměřice.
“The classic nude in the form of a body study doesn’t speak to me; I miss emotion, expression and atmosphere in it.
Women are alive and lively, beautiful but not perfect. They are also complicated personalities, and so I try to depict them that way, not so that they would pass before the Vatican.
That is why, rather than nudes, I photograph naked or half-naked portraits, always with emphasis on the face, if it is part of the shot.
An interesting photograph for me is one that doesn’t explain unambiguously but puts questions before the viewer. I perceive it as a stopped film or a theatre performance, or also a comic-book picture.
I always try to create and then capture a mood or perhaps a hint of some story; the model must trust me and feel comfortable.
Nevertheless, or perhaps because of that, I admire all my models for their courage. They must have enough self-confidence and composure to bear photographs without retouching, lit in a very contrasty theatrical way, with often not very flattering poses, make-up and expressions that I ask of them. For all my laziness, though, what amazes me most is their willingness to travel hundreds or even thousands of kilometres for one to three photographs. That obliges me to strive to achieve the best possible result.”
