Jan Svoboda: Against the Light

Posted by Fabio 11 December 2019

Against the Light marks the first major UK presentation of Czech photographer, Jan Svoboda (1934–1990) since his first solo exhibition at The Photographers’ Gallery in 1982. His groundbreaking experiments with form rank him as one of the world’s pioneers of photographic appropriation and forerunners of conceptual photography. Svoboda’s work sought to redefine the language of photography in relation to painting and sculpture, bridging the traditions of Symbolism and Romanticism with the conceptual and self-reflexive tendencies of late Modernism.

The exhibition, co-organised with The Moravian Gallery in Brno, shows around 50 vintage works in original sizes and adjustments, which retain the sense of his photographic works as unique sculptural objects. Some of the images are returning to The Photographers’ Gallery after 38 years, to commemorate the first ever exhibition of Jan Svoboda in the UK staged at the Gallery in 1982. The presentation includes rich biographical material, illuminating Svoboda’s life through documents and personal photography, as well as video interviews.

The exhibition is curated by Pavel Vančát, with Clare Grafik, Head of Exhibitions at The Photographer’s Gallery.

Jan Svoboda
Against the Light
The Photographers’ Gallery, London
21 February – 7 June 2020