Markéta Luskacová
Encyclopedia
Markéta Luskačová is a Czech photographer known for her series of photographs taken in Slovakia, Britain
and elsewhere. Considered one of the best Czech social photographers to date, since the 1990s she has photographed children in Czech Republic
, Slovakia
, and also Poland
.
with a thesis on religion in Slovakia. During her stay in Slovakia, she became familiar with the old Christian rites and decided to return with a camera to document the surviving traditions. Her thesis was titled Poutě na Východním Slovensku (Pilgrimages in East Slovakia). In the Pilgrimages cycle she mainly focused on the Slovak village of Šumiac
. Following that she studied photography at FAMU
, in this period photographing in Slovakia and Poland.
From 1970 to 1972, Luskačová photographed stage performances of the Za branou Theatre, founded by director Otomar Krejča
. However, the theatre was banned by communists in the spring of 1972. The same year, she was allowed to display the cycle Pilgrims in the Gallery of Visual Arts in Roudnice nad Labem
(the curator of the exhibition was the well-known photography theorist and art historian Anna Fárová
). In 1971, Luskačová married the poet Franz H. Wurm (native of Prague and a British citizen). Wurm, terrified by the "Normalization
" in the Czechoslovakia, left the country and Luskačová asked the state authorities of the communist regime for permission to visit her husband abroad. After several short visits she received a form for emigration (1975) and went to live in England. However, in an interview she claimed: "Bohemia, Prague and Šumiac have never ceased to be my home. I always took my life abroad as a kind of stopgap that stretched to be a considerable part of my life."
In the 1970s and 80s, the communist censorship attempted to conceal her international reputation. Her works were banned in Czechoslovakia, and the catalogues for the exhibition Pilgrims in the Victoria and Albert Museum
were lost on their way to Czechoslovakia.
Luskačová started photographing London's markets in 1974. In the markets of Portobello Road
, Brixton
and Spitalfields
, she “[found] a vivid Dickensian staging”.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and elsewhere. Considered one of the best Czech social photographers to date, since the 1990s she has photographed children in Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, and also Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
Biography
In 1968 Luskačová graduated from Charles University in PragueCharles University in Prague
Charles University in Prague is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1348, it was the first university in Central Europe and is also considered the earliest German university...
with a thesis on religion in Slovakia. During her stay in Slovakia, she became familiar with the old Christian rites and decided to return with a camera to document the surviving traditions. Her thesis was titled Poutě na Východním Slovensku (Pilgrimages in East Slovakia). In the Pilgrimages cycle she mainly focused on the Slovak village of Šumiac
Šumiac
Šumiac is a village and municipality in Brezno District, in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia....
. Following that she studied photography at FAMU
Film and TV School of The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
The Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague or FAMU is one of the oldest film schools in Europe. Located in Prague, Czech Republic, FAMU was founded in 1946 as one of three branches of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague...
, in this period photographing in Slovakia and Poland.
From 1970 to 1972, Luskačová photographed stage performances of the Za branou Theatre, founded by director Otomar Krejča
Otomar Krejča
Otomar Krejča was a Czech theater director and dissident.Krejca was born in Skrýšov, Pelhřimov, Czechoslovakia, on November 23, 1921. In 1956, Krejca became a member of the Prague National Theater as an actor. He later became a theater director at the landmark theater, which opened in Prague in 1881...
. However, the theatre was banned by communists in the spring of 1972. The same year, she was allowed to display the cycle Pilgrims in the Gallery of Visual Arts in Roudnice nad Labem
Roudnice nad Labem
Roudnice nad Labem is a small town on left bank of the Elbe River . It has about 13 500 inhabitants and covers an area of 16,67 km². The town is situated near the famous hill Říp, which is well known for its legendary connection with Praotec Čech....
(the curator of the exhibition was the well-known photography theorist and art historian Anna Fárová
Anna Fárová
Anna Fárová was a Czech art historian who specialized and catalogued Czech and Czechoslovakian photographers, including Frantisek Drtikol and Josef Sudek. She was one of the pioneers of writing on history of photography...
). In 1971, Luskačová married the poet Franz H. Wurm (native of Prague and a British citizen). Wurm, terrified by the "Normalization
Normalization (Czechoslovakia)
In the history of Czechoslovakia, normalization is a name commonly given to the period 1969 to about 1987. It was characterized by initial restoration of the conditions prevailing before the reform period led by Alexander Dubček , first of all, the firm rule of the Communist Party of...
" in the Czechoslovakia, left the country and Luskačová asked the state authorities of the communist regime for permission to visit her husband abroad. After several short visits she received a form for emigration (1975) and went to live in England. However, in an interview she claimed: "Bohemia, Prague and Šumiac have never ceased to be my home. I always took my life abroad as a kind of stopgap that stretched to be a considerable part of my life."
In the 1970s and 80s, the communist censorship attempted to conceal her international reputation. Her works were banned in Czechoslovakia, and the catalogues for the exhibition Pilgrims in the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
were lost on their way to Czechoslovakia.
Luskačová started photographing London's markets in 1974. In the markets of Portobello Road
Portobello Road
Portobello Road is a street in the Notting Hill district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in west London, England. It runs almost the length of Notting Hill from south to north, roughly parallel with Ladbroke Grove. On Saturdays it is home to Portobello Road Market, one of London's...
, Brixton
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
and Spitalfields
Spitalfields
Spitalfields is a former parish in the borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London, near to Liverpool Street station and Brick Lane. The area straddles Commercial Street and is home to many markets, including the historic Old Spitalfields Market, founded in the 17th century, Sunday...
, she “[found] a vivid Dickensian staging”.
Exhibitions
- "Photographs from the Beaches" (with Sirkka-Liisa KonttinenSirkka-Liisa Konttinen-Life and work:Born in Myllykoski Finland in 1948, Konttinen studied photography in London in the 1960s, and cofounded the Amber collective, which moved to Newcastle....
). Side Gallery (Newcastle), 1978. - "North Tyneside" (with Isabella Jedrzejczyk, Sirkka-Liisa KonttinenSirkka-Liisa Konttinen-Life and work:Born in Myllykoski Finland in 1948, Konttinen studied photography in London in the 1960s, and cofounded the Amber collective, which moved to Newcastle....
and Graham SmithGraham Smith (photographer)__NoTOC__Graham Smith is a photographer from Middlesbrough, England, who was particularly active in photographing Middlesbrough and the northeast of England in the 1970s and 1980s....
). Side Gallery (Newcastle), 1981. - "Pilgrims". Side Gallery (Newcastle), 1985.
- "Primary Concerns". Side Gallery (Newcastle), 1989.
- "Photographs of Spitalfields". Whitechapel Art Gallery (London), 1991.
- "Poutníci". Fotografická galerie Fiducia (Ostrava), 2001–2002.
- "No Such Thing as Society: Photography in Britain 1968–1987." Aberystwyth Arts CentreAberystwyth Arts CentreAberystwyth Arts Centre is one of Wales' busiest and largest arts centres, based on Aberystwyth University's Penglais campus Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales...
; Tullie House, Carlisle; Ujazdów CastleUjazdów CastleUjazdów Castle is a castle in the historic Ujazdów district, between Ujazdów Park and the Royal Baths Park , in Warsaw, Poland.-History:...
, Warsaw; Luskačová is one of a number of photographers shown. - "The Photogeny of Identity – The Memory of Czech Photography", National Museum of Photography (Jindřichův Hradec), 2008.
- "The Third Side of the Wall: Photography in Czechoslovakia 1969–1988 from the Collection of the Moravian Gallery in Brno." Moravian Gallery in BrnoMoravian Gallery in BrnoThe Moravian Gallery in Brno is the second largest art museum in the Czech Republic, established in 1961 by merging of two older institutions. It is situated in three main buildings: Pražák Palace, Governor's Palace and Museum of Decorative Arts...
, 2008–2009.
Books and exhibition catalogues
- Pilgrims: Victoria & Albert Museum. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1983. ISBN 0905209605. Exhibition catalogue.
- Pilgrims. London: Arts Council of Great Britain, 1985. ISBN 0728704439. Exhibition catalogue, with text by John BergerJohn BergerJohn Peter Berger is an English art critic, novelist, painter and author. His novel G. won the 1972 Booker Prize, and his essay on art criticism Ways of Seeing, written as an accompaniment to a BBC series, is often used as a university text.-Education:Born in Hackney, London, England, Berger was...
. - Judlová, Marie. Markéta Luskačová. Prague: Galerie hlavního města Prahy, 1991.
- Markéta Luskačová: Photographs of Spitalfields. London: Whitechapel Gallery, 1991. Exhibition catalogue.
- Markéta Luskačová: Fotografie ze Spitalfields (Londýn 1974–1990). Brno: Dům umění města Brna, 1995. ISBN 807009074X.
- Unknown Remembered: Photographs of Children, 1968-98. [Prague]: Galerie G4, 1998. Exhibition catalogue, with text in Czech and English by Colin Osman.
- Markéta Luskačová. Prague: Torst, 2001. ISBN 8072151290. Book with introductory texts by Marie Klimešová, Gerry BadgerGerry BadgerGerald David "Gerry" Badger is a writer about, and curator of photography, and a photographer.The two volumes of The Photobook: A History, which Badger co-wrote with Martin Parr, won the 2006 book award for photography from the Kraszna-Krausz Foundation...
, and Josef Topol. - O smrti, o koních a jiných lidech / On Death and Horses and Other People: Maškary–Masks: 1999–2010: Roztoky–Únětice. [Roztoky], Czech Republic: Sdružení Roztoč, 2011. ISBN 978-80-254-8402-9. Catalogue of an exhibition, with short texts by Howard Bossen and Robert Silverio.
External links
- Luskačová's website
- Luskačová's work at World Webphoto Gallery