OPENING: Stanko Abadžić: Nudes in the Cities

Stanko Abadžić wasStanko Abadžić was born in Vukovar, Croatia in 1952. His father presented him with a Russian camera on his 15th birthday. Abadzic taught himself the technical basics while refining his vision by attending exhibitions, studying photography books, and watching television and films. He joined a photo club, exhibited his early work, and earned money taking pictures of weddings and soccer clubs. Abadzic subsequently joined the staff of the newspaper Vjesnik as a photojournalist, married, and started a family. This tranquil existence, however, was brutally interrupted by the outbreak of Croatia’s war of independence in 1991. The dark years of physical and creative displacement ended when Abadzic moved to Prague in 1995. Feeling a sense of rebirth, he began exploring Prague with his medium-format camera, leaving behind the photojournalist and discovering the artist within.

The enigmatic beauty of Prague’s ancient streets and cul-de-sacs also helped deepen the sense of misterioso that inhabits so many of Abadžić’s images. The furtive pose and voyeuristic overtones of his series “Curiosity, Prague” transforms a commonplace scene into a Cocteau-like meditation on unconscious urges. Abadzic moved back to his homeland in 2002, settling in the capital city of Zagreb, but retained his Czech residence permit and returns periodically to Prague.

Abadžić‘ deeply humanistic photographs resonate with wistful regard for a time when people were in tune with each other spiritually and emotionally rather than electronically. This accounts for the seemingly “old-fashioned” aesthetic of his images, many of which, with their geometric composition, sensual atmosphere, and telling detail, look as if they could have been made in the 1940s or earlier.

The exhibition »Nudes in the Cities« presents a selection of 20 photographs from Abadžić’s various series, created in the last decade. As it focuses mainly on two genres – nude and cityscape – this exhibition will also present approximately half of the works of one and the other genre. At the exhibition, some of the artist’s books will also be available, some with an original signature!