Point of View // Vendula Pribylova

(Click here to see Vendula’s work on NowNow Gallery)

Where are you and what are you doing?

Currently I am living in Melbourne trying to get out there to take some photos. I came to Melbourne to study photography and a few circumstances made me stay longer. By being here for almost 4 years I can’t help reminding myself of Europe, where I came from. I am looking for some kind of universal feeling in my photographs. I have shot in Australia, on my travels in Asia, Europe and America. I am not trying to create a specific geographical reference but an image we can all somehow relate to with our feelings or memory.

I am sure it all has a lot to do with where I come from. First ten years of my childhood were influenced by communism and I remember it as a very grey environment. After the revolution things started changing in front of my eyes and have not stopped. Every aspect of life is modernised, more colourful, faster and globalised like anywhere else in the western world. I can’t get rid of the melancholic feeling when I remember Europe. Quite often I take a photo just because it reminds me of something from those days.

How did you start taking photos?

I have always been fascinated by photography. About 15 years ago photography was kind of like an imaginary process in my head, but only about five years ago I got myself an actual camera and since then my life has changed. I guess I never had the confidence to take a photo, show it and get an opinion from the outside world. I find photography to be a very personal and sensitive medium. I think there are so many good photos taken but a lot of people hesitate to show them.

I know photography is my obsession! Its way of showing things we would normally capture with human eye and present it in such a different way. Photography has not stopped surprising me.

What is the most important aspect of (your) photography to you?

Letting your imagination become close to being real and the other aspect of photography is its escapism in everyday life. I can’t get away from looking at things in a photographic way.

Generally speaking, when I photograph I usually know exactly what I want. It can be an old photograph or a movie scene, which will trigger my mind. I start creating pictures in my head, perfecting them, dreaming about them for days or weeks. Once I go to photograph I can be very frustrated not getting what I want. I hate those days. But at the end I realised patience is the key to get the work done. Sometimes it is a long process but the reward is sweet.

Who is your favourite photographer?

I do not really have one favourite photographer but many and they are continuously changing. I like many photographers for their certain qualities. Calle, Tillmanns, Sugimoto, Ruth, Struth… just these should give you an idea that any genre of photography is very interesting. I love painters like Gerhard Richter and Luc Tuymanns. Lately I have been looking at Boris Mikhailov’s photography. His work is amazing. Director Wong Kar Wai and cinematographer Christopher Doyle create movies full of beautiful photography.
For me inspiration is everywhere: people, places, way of life, movies and art in general. I love learning about history and being from Europe history was felt everywhere I went. I think it reflects in my photography as well.

Do you see photography as a part of a bigger creative urge/scene/force?

Photography for me has become such an important part of my life. It is part of everything I do and I am sure if it does not have an effect now it might later on. Photography is such a strong visually emotional language.

What could you look at for the rest of your life?

That is a tough question. No matter what I say, I get bored very easily. I am looking forward to see what photography and art generally will bring in future.
One piece of art work does come to my mind; Olafur Eliasson’s “Beauty” from 1993 (picture below). I have been looking at this photo for a few years now and I am still amazed by its monumentality. I have seen several of Eliasson’s installations but this one has always had the biggest effect. I admire his installations for their simplicity, power and his exploration of relationships between perception and reality, nature and technology, the individual and the environment.