Matejka

The photographic work of Ivan Matejka is connected with several paradoxes. He possessed a genetically-determined head start compared to other photographers – blessed with distinctive talent, he created his first noteworthy shots at the age of sixteen. It seemed that he took off as a photographer at full speed, as his photographs were quickly exhibited, published and from time to time even awarded. However, he remains a little-known photographer. He has only had two smaller solo exhibitions, and sporadically participates in cultural life; in fact, almost no one has seen his work from the past two decades. Ivan Matejka perceives the world as “chaotic and messy.” However, when it comes to photography, he thinks that “this mess must be removed. In a photographic picture, there must be order like the gears in a watch…” And so, for Matejka, roses bloom even in a junkyard. One simply has to be close enough, and supremely alert in order to observe the world opening up for us in countless new views.