PAVEL BAŇKA

PHOTOGRAPHY IS LIKE FLICKING A REED INTO THE STREAM OF TIME

OPENING: 19. 5. 2026 AT 7 PM
EXHIBITION: 20. 5. – 20. 6. 2026

In the context of Czech photography, Pavel Baňka’s visual universe represents a distinct island of inner integrity and a tireless search for the hidden meanings of reality. In today’s era, overwhelmed by digital noise and generated imagery, his analog experiments act as a radical gesture of slowing down. The exhibition at Galerie Fotografic brings together iconic works from the Figuration cycle and surprising, previously unseen positions from the artist’s archive. Here, Baňka confirms his role as a visionary capable of reviving the legacy of Surrealism and the interwar avant-garde without ever slipping into mere nostalgia.

It is precisely within the tension between exact constructivism and unfettered dreamlike intuition that Baňka’s unique signature emerges—a style where technical precision becomes a mere instrument for capturing the ineffable. Through principles of juxtaposition, multiplication, and long exposure, he constructs visions that most often manifest as stylized black-and-white nudes and portraits. The exhibition is an intimate insight into the creative process of an artist for whom the medium of photography is a lifelong tool for exploring the fleeting nature of human existence.

Pavel Baňka (*1941), an engineer by training, reached the world of art on his own terms, eventually becoming one of the key figures of the Czech photographic scene. He went on to teach photography as a visiting professor at art schools abroad (specifically in the USA) and later in his home country. Beyond his own artistic career, he has fundamentally shaped the institutional landscape of Czech photography—he co-founded the Fotograf magazine and gallery and established the Photography Studio at FUD UJEP. His work is represented in prestigious international collections today, from the Centre Pompidou in Paris to the Art Institute of Chicago. He lives and works in Prague. www.pavelbanka.com

The Fotografic Gallery’s exhibition programme is supported by grants from the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the State Fund for Culture of the Czech Republic, the City of Prague, and the Prague 1 Municipal District. Thank you!