Finally.
I started considering organizing a photo exhibition about six years ago. I felt more confident in my skills and believed that my photographs were of sufficient quality to show to the world. I had a selection of photos ready, found a printing company, obtained samples of materials, and looked for a proper space to use. Everything was in motion. But then our daughter was born, followed by our son, and my exhibition plans were put on hold for a long time.
From a photography perspective, I think it did me good. I began to appreciate my free time more with the kids and plan better when it's worth going out to shoot and when it's not. I became even more interested in meteorology to increase the chances of getting the best conditions when I go out to shoot. I discovered the beauty of drone photography... In short, a lot happened in those 6 years.
It also happened that last summer, my colleague Tereza Ševčíková approached me about participating in an exhibition of Gen employees, formerly Avast, where I've been working for over a decade. In the atrium of the Enterprise building at Pankrác in Prague, where we are located, there is an exhibition space that was used before COVID but has been empty for the past few years. It required only one thing - convincing the building owners that it was a good idea... Along with my photographer colleagues, Andrea Havettová and Jenda Kolena, we agreed on the exhibition's theme, drafted the composition, and passed it on. Half a year later, our project got the green light. And then the real rollercoaster began :-).
Finalizing the selection of photos, securing a printing company for the photographs (after six years, I contacted Mr. Husák, with whom I had already wanted to cooperate before), choosing the type of canvas, designing promotion posters, obtaining the missing hanging materials and catering for the vernissage. These are all standard things that every exhibition has, but we added two more. The charitable aspect of the whole event, where the proceeds from the sale of each photo will go to support people with autism, and the support from our company. So, I approached Mr. Ondřej Vlček, the president of Gen, who was thrilled with the idea and not only decided to financially support the vernissage but also promised to give the opening speech.
The preparations went too smoothly; I kept waiting for something to go wrong. Perhaps the biggest struggle came when I accidentally ordered A0-sized posters instead of A1 for the banners... and those posters arrived the day before the vernissage. Luckily, arranging for additional A1 prints was not a problem; we just don't know now what to do with those giant A0 prints.
By the way, the graphic design of all materials was done by our colleague Matěj Porteš, a person with incredible talent... We reserved an entire day for installation; Jenda and Andrea had prepared strings and hung them in advance to have an adequate time buffer. In the end, we managed to complete the preparations two hours before the opening...
The vernissage itself took place in an elegant, friendly atmosphere. After the opening words and the obligatory group photo of the authors, we mingled with the visitors, talked about the photos, photography, and life. With a glass of champagne in hand, time passed pleasantly quickly; one could only regret how quickly it flew by... Thanks to photos by my colleague Pavel Prokeš, we have something to remember.
The day after, I went to the exhibition on my own to sit there alone for a while. To look at what we created and sort out my thoughts about what's next. More photography? Definitely. Another exhibition? Seeing my photographs as part of a larger space and remembering how I felt when I took them is an incredibly fulfilling feeling. So, definitely yes, but for now, I'll enjoy the one we just created.
Come and see for yourself – the Colours of the World exhibition will run until June 21st and is freely accessible on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Enterprise building in Prague's Pankrác.
