Photographic Prague exhibition opens
An exhibition called Photographic Prague opened in the Old Town Hall this week. Olga Szantova was there for the event.
But foreigners and Czechs alike surprise visitors to the exhibition by the varied and unexpected ways they view Prague. Even though one of the topics of the competition was Baroque Prague none of the pictures on display show the usual, picture post-card images of historic monuments. The top award for the best color photographs went to Tomas Cervinka, who called his collection The Problems of Prague and captures details of crumbling walls, neglected sidewalks and doorways in desperate need of repair.
"I wanted to draw attention to the things people tend to ignore but for me this is all part of historic Prague. That's the way it is and hopefully in time people will stop ignoring it and do something about it."
Tomas Cervinka is an amateur photographer, who only started taking pictures a couple of years ago. He is one of many whose pictures show the non-touristy side of Prague. The top prize for black and white photos went to Karel Tuma's pictures of Prague punks. One of MY favorites is a picture of an old man looking, with an appreciative smile, at a billboard poster of five glamorous girls advertising ladies' underwear. The Photographic Prague exhibition really is unconventional and shows a very different view of the city than you find in the usual guide book or collection of tourist photographs. Says Daniela Mrazkova, one of the main organizers. The fifth year of the Photographic Prague exhibition was opened this week. But preparations for next year are already under way. And, as you heard, foreign visitors' entries are very welcome.
