Jaroslav Pulicar

The exhibition is a retrospective overlooking nearly four decades of work by the contemporary photographer Jaroslav Pulicar (*1954) from Brno. Although Pulicar is one of the most prominent current photodocumentarists and was awarded the Association of Professional Photographers prize last year, only a few insiders are familiar with his work.

His creative method is clear and simple; to do what he enjoys, travel, photograph in black and white and exclusively use analogue cameras. Despite this method being followed by many, Pulicar’s work stands out partly because he remained faithful and meticulous in his approach. The demands placed on his photographical composition are interconnected with his attitudes in life. He seeks vanishing islands of authenticity. Places where people are drawn together to create something, often in reference to a long-standing tradition. It is no coincidence that many of Pulicar’s photographs were created during pilgrimages or folk festivities. Seeking authentic lives has often drawn Pulicar to places in Moravia, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, or Romania. Despite this, he does focus on people who live in the margins. He has an eye for “simple” compositions, where for a second life is exposed in its rawest form. He aims to capture our inner conflicts, human expressions of countenance and focused centring oneself in space. Pulicar attentively seeks the everydayness surrounding us, he attempts to not miss the moment where the commonplace gives rise to an image representing a general experience.