BARBORA BÁLKOVÁ
PHANTOMS
23. 7. – 20. 9. 2010
“Phantoms represent an imaginary photographic exploration of the memories from my early childhood. This imagination would not be complete without later inspiration from horror films and theoretical knowledge of hallucinogenic experience I gained from my study of psychopathology. The project as described here thus goes beyond the boundaries of photography into the domain of psychology, mapping in particular (in visual terms) potential tendencies of magical thinking of infants and perceptions of surroundings depending on a specific moment in time flow. The photographic scenes are frozen in time, in the moment of surprise, as if the headlights of a car catch a passing animal. It seems to be a flashback – a doubtful moment which can be replaced by an illusionary image or pure fiction like in a micro sleep. What is perhaps even more discomforting; it is sort of existential loneliness of those “phantom individuals” who are still busy in their peculiar activities. They are completely absorbed in their parallel reality, unless we disturb them with a torch light or penetrate into their reality for a while. The series contains thirteen couples of “phantoms” pictured first at night and then as if caught during day time. The 24 pictures with the format 75×75 cm are made using the high quality light jet technology.”
Barbora Bálková (1978), Czech artist. She lives and works in Prague. www.barborabalkova.cz
PROJECT
