Rhythm

I invite you to the opening of my analog photography exhibition “Rhythm”

“What is this? A drawing, a painting, a graphic or a photograph?” That’s the best question I’ve gotten about this series.

After years of commercial digital photography, I am returning to my roots, the photo course from elementary school, and the shadows on the red walls of the laboratory lighting. Dynamic digital photos in which we instantly see the result, immediately correct mistakes, reshoot, or cover up details with photoshop are part of my commercial practice. Art practice, on the other hand, brings me back to the basics and resets my photographic taste. Sometimes I might fall under the influence of dreamy filters, trends of cheap tricks of digital communication. But there is the good old, strict teacher, the photographic craft that requires skill, and patience and does not forgive mistakes. The darkroom requires thinking and planning whereas a sharp, well-lit negative is the greatest reward for the effort. Analog photography criticizes and slows down the impatient euphoric character, it turns back and corrects every wrong turn on the road. The healing properties of silver are well known. I had to shake off all the tricks and deceptions of digital photography. In the chemistry of silver salts, I had to clean the taste corrupted by pixels and to direct myself once again towards the old noble craft – Her Highness – Analogue photography. The quote from Yusuf Karsh: “Character, like photography, develops in darkness.” summarizes this introduction.

Rhythm (Greek: ῥυθμός, rhythmos) is by definition any regularly repeating movement. From my point of view and recording, rhythm represents life, because it carries dynamics, movement, and noise, unlike silence. The photos of dancers on the street are my attempt to capture the euphoria and movement that the rhythm brings. Even in medicine, the silence of a heart machine means the opposite of life. However this is not a boring repeating beat, but a fun, unpredictable rhythm that breaks the rules, and the symmetry. Lindy Hop and Swing dances rely on the improvisation of the dancers and are very social and exciting. In this series that was presented at the exhibition, through the tension of the body, the effort of movements, jumps, and turns, I tried to present life in its full intensity.

In the era of digital images, I oriented my work in the field of artistic photography towards returning to an organic, noble process, an old craft that requires skill, patience, and especially thinking and planning before photographing and creating in the laboratory. However, there are always improvisations, surprises, and unpredictable situations! The entire analog process was exactly like that – from creating the negatives to creating the positives that will be in front of you. That’s why I invite you to come on Tuesday,

August 16th at 7 p.m

Opening of the exhibition RHYTHM

A series that you will have the opportunity to see until September 5th at the exhibition is unique because of the way the emulsion is applied with a brush.
The most pleasant impression, in my opinion, leaves an organic feeling when touching the materials, the grainy texture of the paper, and the artistry of the enlarged photo.

The process shown in the video below is only a part of the whole analog procedure and refers to the enlargement and development of positives in my improvised laboratory.

Technical specifications: Analogue black and white photography
Dimensions of works: 50x70cm and 60x70cm approximately
Positive on Hahnemühle FineArt paper, various types
Photographed with a Rolleiflex camera on Kodak film 120mm, negative 6x6cm
Photochemistry was imported from the FOMA factory in the Czech Republic, with numerous challenges, and adventures
Performed in an improvised home photo laboratory equipped with the help of my former professor at FPU, now retired – Dragoslav Mirković, who is also the reviewer of the exhibition.

I am pleased to invite you to the opening of my solo exhibition, which I have been preparing for a long time and which was a challenge for me from a technical and craft aspect. Along with analog shooting, I also made a digital series that I exhibited earlier. This time in front of you are the previously unseen original positives exhibited for the first time in the UK Parobrod gallery. If you cannot come to the opening night, the exhibition will be open to visitors until September 5th, from 9 am to 10 pm, every day except Sunday, and you are welcome to visit it and share with me your impressions or leave a comment.

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Update August 18th 2022

Here you may listen to the recording of my appearance on the show Kulturni krugovi on Radio Belgrade 2 with host Sara Arsenovic.

Here you may watch a short feature announcing the exhibition on the national TV Station Pink in the morning show Novo jutro.

Below is scanned short text about the exhibition from the daily newspaper Politika, on August 17th.

Report on Jutarnji program the morning show on RTS about the exhibition prepared by journalist Slađana Jakuš.