Trapped – exhibition of photographs of three young artists Jelena Blagovic, Erika Hayashi and Frederic Huska to open at the Croatian Embassy
An exhibition entitled Trapped, showing the work of three young students of photography Jelena Blagovic from Croatia, Erika Hayashi from Japan and Frederic Huska form France, will be opened at the Croatian Embassy from 6th until 27th May 2005.
Trapped – exhibition of photographs of three young artists Jelena Blagovic, Erika Hayashi and Frederic Huska
An exhibition entitled Trapped, showing the work of three young students of photography Jelena Blagovic from Croatia, Erika Hayashi from Japan and Frederic Huska form France, will be opened at the Croatian Embassy from 6th until 27th May 2005.
Early photographers approaching Aboriginal people had great difficulties in persuading them to pose for them because they believed that their soul would be trapped inside the camera together with the picture. In this exhibition three young photographers from different parts of the world have embarked on a quest to find some answers and started by asking a question: Have you ever felt trapped? That feeling has to do with our inner space and the world around us. Feeling a prisoner in our own mind conditions our ability to relate to others, to enjoy their company and to experience the freedom of space around us.
This common theme unites Jelena Blagovic from Croatia, Erika Hayashi from Japan and Frederic Huska from France – students at the end of their second year at the BA Photographic Arts Course at the University of Westminster in London. They use portraits to suggest feelings of depression, sadness, alienation and unfulfilled desires.
Jelena Blagovic uses an explicit symbol of entrapment – the cage and an illusion of escape – a mirror that looks back at us, reassuring us that we are still there, still alive and there is no barrier between us and the world on the other side of the looking glass. In her photographs Jelena is experimenting with a rich sepia tone, lulling us into a false impression of comforting "things past", approaching depression with sentiment and compassion.
Frederic Huska in his bold black and white portraits emphasizes the theme of contrasting feelings and different interpretations of the same event. It is as if he wants to say: Nothing is black and white, there are subtle variations of grey that will not allow a simple answer to the question who is the victim and who is the murderer. This work is in response to tragic events of 9/11 in New York.
Erika Hayashi leaves the studio environment in which her colleagues created their photographs, and takes us to magical land of fairytales. She places her models in a dreamy forest, taking them back to the memories of childhood. By using both natural and artificial lighting thus highlighting the colours to suit her story, she creates a world of her own in which the adult, rational side tries to find freedom in the imaginary world of pleasure.
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