ONDŘEJ DURCZAK

MORE THAN THE SUN

OPENING: 21. 11. 2023 AT 7 PM
EXHIBITION: 22. 11. – 30. 12. 2023

In his photographic work, Ondřej Durczak has long been exploring the historical legacy and contemporary state of the industrial regions of Ostrava, Bruntál and Karviná. The exhibition at the Fotografic Gallery will primarily present the Karvinsko project, which deals with the key milestones of this industrial region, emphasizing the significance and structure of coal mining. In addition to extensive photographic documentation focusing on industrial architecture and the impact of mining on the surrounding landscape, the project includes various archival materials in the form of historic photographs, vintage posters, or an obituary of deceased miners. The exact mapping of the region is complemented by photographs of staged still lifes of small elements, products, and symbols that evoke the appearance of the old Karviná region and the events that took place there. The exhibition’s title, “More than the Sun”, refers to the celebratory rhetoric of the socialist era while subversively capturing the changing relationship of post-industrial society to coal.
Ondřej Durczak (*1989) graduated from the Institute of Physics and at the same time from the Institute of Creative Photography of the Faculty of Philosophy and Science of the Silesian University in Opava. Currently he has been teaching at the Institute of Creative Photography while finishing the PhD studies. In addition to numerous solo and group exhibitions, he has published photographic books Bruntálsko: Alternative Photographic Guide (2021), Karvinsko (2021), Photographic Publications of Vítkovice Ironworks (2018) and Ostrava in Retirement: Guide to Faded Glory (2015). www.durczak.cz