The Crown of Thorns (or The Invitation to the Exhibition)

Thoughts on ‘(Not) a Photograph’

There is a big room inside of my mind, in the Memory Avenue, that houses the photographs that that were never taken. I revisit them frequently as they depend on that. They exist in the same way as the fragments of the poem exist in the mind of a poet. The fact that they have not been ‘written’ down does not diminish they presence in the inner world of ones who created them. The intersection between photography and poetry is significant - photographs are often described as lyrical/poetical, and likewise - the contemporary poetry frequently contains the elements that feel photographic. The photography, by its name is writing with light. Both the photography and poetry try to capture and frame the fleeting moment or a feeling by using metaphors and placing the content into a space or shape that will enhance it. This capturing and framing of the moment does not need a ‘hard evidence’ to justify its existence. You, the creator, know of it.

There are a precious few photographs in that room of mine, where the steps to acquiring them where exactly the same as producing the photograph whose trace exist somewhere in the world. You see it, you stop and observe, you focus but you never follow up with the final act of fixing that image on to the film plane because for various reasons, you want to be the sole proprietor of that photograph. Only you can access it in its full detail. It is truly yours.

Dragana Jurisic

Today on the 19th of December is an art opening in the Obalna galerija Piran titled (Not) a Photograph. If you find yourself in Slovenia go and see it.

Participating artists:

Aleksandra Vajd & Hynek Alt, Arven Šakti Kralj Szomi, Barbara Milavec, Romina Dušić, Boštjan Pucelj, Bojana Tomše, Marketa Kinterova, Marketa Othova, Tilen Žbona, Borut Peterlin, Tanja Lažetić, Kiki Omerzel, Dejan Habicht, Špela Kasal, Peter Koštrun, Saša Štucin, Manja Zore, son:DA, Lorena Matic, Artgroup RGB, Antonio Živkovič, Tanja Verlak, Jernej Humar, Andrej Tisma, Jenny Rova, Roy Lagrone, Peter Tillessen, Günther Selichar, Marco Citron, Vlasta Delimar, Ulay, Helen Sear, Hermes Payrhuber, Anita Witek, Bojan Radovič, Ewald Maurer, Tamara Horáková, Michele Spanghero, Emilie Delugeau, Ernst Logar, David Vatovec, Janez Pelko, Dragana Jurišić, Anita Pavlič, Mahony, Herwig Kempinger, Jasna Klančišar

After the exhibitions Intimate (2006) that dealt with intimacy in contemporary photography and Photographs (2007) which pointed out issues between photography as medium and physical reality, this year Vasja Nagy as guest curator at Obalne galerije Piran realises another thematic exhibition on photography.
Through numerous questions that arise at encounters with this, in modern times so omnipresent and popular medium we keep discovering new meanings that occur around it. In the Intimate exhibition mostly documentary photographs representing objects, spaces and people were shown, while Photographs presented photographs as autonomous art objects that seem to be more connected to painting and computer graphics than to classical world of photography. Main topic was reduction of the object of photography.
This year's project is penetrating even further through photographic substance. Instead of just hanging pictures in a gallery space will explore space beyond the objects made of paper, celluloid or light, but still remains connected to photography and photographic mind.
For the exhibition, artists who express through photography, and theorists, with an interest in photography were invited to this exploration and the set-up together with the publication will show that a photograph is most present when there is no photograph.