BPF INTERVIEWS – Bára Prášilová

You just came back from New York at a time when the pandemic was already at an advanced stage. How was New York like during the quarantine? Where do you stay during this crisis, how do you keep yourself positive and entertained?
It was actually good to find out that I loved NYC even during the pandemic. The people there are really special and strong and it almost broke my heart when I had to leave the city. Coming back to my home country where we all silently follow the strict rules made me feel anxious, but also extremely secure when it comes to the epidemic. It was definitely great to experience these two absolute extremes in the approach to the crisis, so I can stay somewhere in the middle and focus only on things that I can change.

I’m happy to have a plenty of time to finally retouch my “new” photos that I left unfinished last autumn. I’m also doing some planning around my future photoshoots and videos. And just as I write these answers, the Czech government officially announced that all photographers are allowed to get back to their jobs! It’s nice that I don’t have to do it illegally. 🙂

Do you try to document this episode photographically?
Being in NYC during the pandemic made me more curious and I did one photoshoot shortly before leaving the city in lockdown. Being in the silent Prague allowed me to process everything and especially to focus on my future projects while enjoying the unique silence here. I have also started looking for new locations in the empty city which is kind of exciting these days.

“The Edge of Fiction”, your joint exhibition at the Budapest Photo Festival with Weronika Gesicka and Maria Svarbova is one of the highlights of the festival. You are all young, talented and very successful artists from Middle-Eastern Europe. Did you know each other before?
I only met Maria in person, it was in Cologne where I was as a judge of the Hassellblad Masters and where Maria came to receive the award. I remember Weronika’s work at the Paris Photo about 3 years ago and I really love what she does. So it is definitely a good company to be in!

For understandable reasons, you couldn’t attend the opening ceremony in Budapest. Have you been here before? Do you have any favourite classic / contemporary photographers from Hungary?
It looks like I am not going to visit your country just yet 🙂 I already had a solo exhibition in Budapest in 2012 which I couldn’t attend at that time because I was in NYC. This year I participated in the Budapest Art Fair together with the Chemistry Gallery but I couldn’t come due to my trip to Sweden to celebrate 50 years of landing on the moon, organised by my beloved Hasselblad. So far I have only had the chance to get to know the work of your great photographers like Brassai, László Moholy-Nagy, Robert Capa… And of course, I’m always amazed by the aesthetics of Noell S. Oszvald’s work.

Your photographic journey didn’t start very easily. You were told you have no talent for drawing so you thought being an artist is not an option. Your parents wanted you to be a secretary when you were young and put you in a private school. How does one become a photographer after all this?
Honestly I’m not very good at tracking it back. I remember I wanted to escape working in the office, and thanks to my absence of logical and practical thinking, the next thing I knew I was a photographer.

Not only you’ve become a photographer, but you reached great success, developed a unique style and were exhibited all around the world. How did you develop or discover your creative approach? What or who influenced you greatly in creating this special visual world of yours?
I always struggle to answer these questions in some super attractive ways as my style has been developing very naturally by listening to what I like and desire to shoot. I believe that anything is possible and that gives me huge opportunities and inexhaustible sources of imagination. I also believe that Inspiration comes quicker than thoughts. My brain definitely works in a different mode and causes me problems in other areas of life 🙂 But the truth is, I have noticed that creativity is trainable. To some extent at least. 🙂

Like with all other aspects in life, we are constantly changing. How do you think your work evolved in the last few years, what direction are you moving into and what territories would you like to explore in the future in photography?
I think I am still pushing the boundaries of what can be created and how much I am willing and able to devote to creating photography, and these days also video. I definitely started to devote more time and energy to the preparation of props and scenes in order to eliminate post-production as much as possible, leaving me with unique props, which I can later exhibit together with my photos. I have also branched out into films.

What do you expect from the future in these interesting times?
Nobody can see what’s coming in the next few days and weeks. It is definitely a great time to rethink one’s life and at the same time be aware of domestic and world politics, who and which companies to support. And also revise your business and economic dependence / independence. Creativity will always be irreplaceable but being an artist is also a vulnerable position to be in these days. Let’s see 🙂

Interview by Kornél Kocsány

Interviews – Bara Prasilova

BPF INTERVIEWS – Bára Prášilová