In his Collection of Short Stories, Jernej Strmšek presents photos that were taken in the previous year as part of the author’s regular monitoring of the surroundings, various trips and numerous gatherings with friends, acquaintances, also cats, dogs and swans.
He collected the extensive collection of photographs in a thick zine with a Red Onion pattern and hard covers, which actually borders on an exemplary photo album or book. The original book and other derivatives created for the needs of the exhibition are characterised by an intuitive, sometimes random sequencing of photographs, which brings randomness, lightness and a welcome lack of predetermined context or completeness to the work.
The photographs of a unified format are arranged chronologically in the book and divided into loose chapters, within which new, more or less complex stories are created. Snapshots of everyday life, such as lying in the grass, rough seas, images of flowers, pets, food, interiors, parks, parking lots, portraits of friends and architecture create different associations, connections and surprises in different sequences. The artist is driven by the observation of photography and curiosity about what happens to the narrative, content and relationships between individual photographs in different sequences. The entire presentation also questions the nature of an active and engaged photographer who is constantly on the lookout for potential moments with good content and shots. The endearing Collection of Short Stories, with its static and unencumbered nature, invites both the author and the viewer to take a short break and some time for reflection.
Jernej Strmšek (1999) is a photographer from Maribor who studies visual communication design at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana. He started taking photographs out of a desire to make photographs that would better capture his hometown than the images that appear in the media and advertising. He edited the resulting series into his first photozine, which, in addition to the photobook, is the most appealing way for him to disseminate and enjoy photos. He looks for material for his photographs mainly in his direct visual experience of the world, that is, he pays attention to things that not only attract his gaze, but also retain it and serve as an object for further reflection. He also works with found photographs and archival material. During the process of editing and presenting the material, he is primarily interested in the relationships between photographs or between photography and its environment.
Free admission.
7. 11.–2. 12. 2023
Organisation: DobraVaga / Kino Šiška
