1/2
1/2
Visual Storyteller
Visual Storyteller
Jindřich Štreit
December 29, 2022
© Jindřich Štreit, Arnoltice 1985
Through to January 12, 2023, the Freelens Gallery in Hamburg presents the exhibition ‘Village People 1965–1990’ with photographs by Jindřich Štreit.
A chronicler and storyteller extraordinaire, Štreit (b. 1946) has documented rural life in the Czech regions of Moravia and Bohemia in a black-and-white oeuvre spanning more than five decades. While working as a teacher in the small village of Sovinec in the 1960s, Štreit used his spare time to explore his surroundings with his camera – quickly taking on the role of a local chronicler.
To the modern viewer, his renditions of everyday life in a country marked by the turmoil and destruction of two World Wars, and the dictatorship that followed, can at times seem almost absurd. In skilfully composed images, Štreit captured the isolation and loneliness of life in a socialist collective. At the same time, however, his observations of private moments and shared celebrations are a testament to the joie-de-vivre, sense of community and solidarity that endured in the face of external challenges.
Today, Štreit’s images are hailed as classic works within photography history, with representations in international collections and exhibitions around the world. The showcase at the Freelens Gallery, which encompasses a selection of 40 prints, was organised in collaboration with Photonews and Bildband Berlin, and is accompanied by a comprehensive publication.
See a detailed portfolio of Jindřich Štreit in the LFI 7/2021
A chronicler and storyteller extraordinaire, Štreit (b. 1946) has documented rural life in the Czech regions of Moravia and Bohemia in a black-and-white oeuvre spanning more than five decades. While working as a teacher in the small village of Sovinec in the 1960s, Štreit used his spare time to explore his surroundings with his camera – quickly taking on the role of a local chronicler.
To the modern viewer, his renditions of everyday life in a country marked by the turmoil and destruction of two World Wars, and the dictatorship that followed, can at times seem almost absurd. In skilfully composed images, Štreit captured the isolation and loneliness of life in a socialist collective. At the same time, however, his observations of private moments and shared celebrations are a testament to the joie-de-vivre, sense of community and solidarity that endured in the face of external challenges.
Today, Štreit’s images are hailed as classic works within photography history, with representations in international collections and exhibitions around the world. The showcase at the Freelens Gallery, which encompasses a selection of 40 prints, was organised in collaboration with Photonews and Bildband Berlin, and is accompanied by a comprehensive publication.
See a detailed portfolio of Jindřich Štreit in the LFI 7/2021
ALL IMAGES ON THIS PAGE: © Jindřich Štreit
Jindřich Štreit+-
Born on September 5, 1946, in Vsetín, near Zlín, South Moravia, Štreit began studying at the Palacký University in Olomouc in 1963, with an emphasis on Primary School Education. He worked as a teacher from 1966 to 1982, and became increasingly interested in photography. From 1974 to 1977, he did distance studies with the Union of Czech Photographers' Institute of Creative Photography in Brno. Štreit organised exhibitions, concerts, and theatre peroductions; first in an empty school, and later, in 1980, in the castle of Sovinec. In 1990, he travelled to the USA; and, in the same year, began numerous teaching activities in Prague, Bratislava and Opava, where he still works as a professor to this day. He has received numerous awards and had many exhibitions. Štreit has been working with a Leica M6 since 1991. More
© Jindřich Štreit, Arnoltice 1985
© Jindřich Štreit, Arnoltice 1990