Ivan Pinkava (1961, Náchod) graduated from the Department of Art Photography at FAMU in 1986 and since then he has worked on independent photography. He has regularly exhibited work in Europe and the United States since 1988. His most important exhibition was Heroes, which was organised in 2004 by Galerie Rudolfinum in Prague. The black-and-white figurative photographs in that series, which exuded an extraordinary intensity, archetypal force, and soulfulness, immediately became emblematic of Pinkava in the public eye.
‘He works with the personal physiognomic model as though it were material with which he creates a general figure, a kind of “physical” symbol, invoking the collective unconscious, he visualises the invisible reality of our common soul.’ (Milena Slavická).
In 2005–2007 Pinkava headed the Studio of Photography at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. He is one of the most outstanding Czech photographers today and many artistic collections in the Czech Republic and abroad contain pieces of his photographic work.

Silence, Silence, Dream and Three Mattresses

The exhibition at the Italian gallery of Vernon International & In Stage Padua is the first exhibition of Pinkava’s work since 2004. Following what seemed to be a pause after the Heroes cycle the photographer has re-emerged with a series of new black-and-white photographs. This time he has moved away from stylised figures and turned his eye to observing silent prostrate objects ‘in the autumn of life’.

‘Objects are imprints of the human present, which is transitory and is replaced by new sources. Even objects themselves age, succumb to time, and are replaced by new ones (here the impermanent material that the author makes significant use of – foam). Their function, however, does not especially change in any way. It is about breaking away from oneself, no longer shadowing oneself.’ (Petr Vaňous)

In the title of the exhibition the author is alluding to the material-abstract nature of things as such.

‘The author gave the exhibition in Padua, Italy, the allegorical title SILENCE, SILENCE, DREAM AND THREE MATTRESSES. This is more a code than a poetic illustration of the idea of the exhibition, but it is still informative to the perceptive viewer. Neither silence nor dream can be captured directly, they can only be reconstructed. By finding and formulating a “visual analogy” to them. Three mattresses and a cast shadow are here representatives of objective materiality.’ (Petr Vaňous)

Ivan Pinkava curated this exhibition himself. More than ever before he is highlighting the reciprocal relationship between individual works. It is the appearance of the installation as a whole that is the final outcome of the photographer’s work. There will be an opportunity to view recent work by Ivan Pinkava in Prague at the end of this year.


Ivan Pinkava – Silence, Silence, Dream and Three Mattresses
27 March–1 May (pre-opening 26 March, 18.00), Vernon International & In Stage Padua, Via Altinate 119, Padua





More information at: www.vernoninternational.com

CONTACT
More information, photographs, and other materials can be obtained from:
Markéta Faustová/PR
+420 773 915 501, marketa.faustova@tina-b.com