Stanko Abadžić
Encyclopedia
Stanko Abadžić is a Croatian photographer and photojournalist. He lives and works in Zagreb
, Croatia.
Stanko Abadžić began his professional career in photography as a photojournalist for the Croatian daily newspaper Vjesnik
. During that period he made well-known reportages from Tunisia
, Malta
, Turkey
and other countries. After the onset of the Croatian war of independence
in 1991, Abadžić moved abroad and would not return to Croatia for many years. After four years in Germany
, he spent seven years in the Czech Republic
in Prague
, a city which had the greatest impact on his artistic expression. At this point in his career he moved away from photojournalism towards art photography. In the Czech Republic he participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions, the largest of which was a retrospective exhibition at the gallery Dom Jozefa Sudka in Prague, on which occasion his first monograph U ogledalu života (In The Mirror of Life) was published. In 2002 he returned to Croatia and the Croatian photography scene with a large exhibition at the Mimara Museum
, where he exhibited In Absentia, his most famous series from Prague. As an art photographer Abadžić's works almost exclusively in black-and-white film, evoking a sense of nostalgia and times gone by in his works. The artist also cites the influence of old masters of photography like Henri Cartier-Bresson
.
Abadžić has had solo exhibitions in numerous European countries: the Czech Republic, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Switzerland and Spain, to name a few. He has also exhibited outside of Europe in Argentina, the USA and Japan. He has received professional recognition as well as many awards for his work. Abadžić’s photographs are part of collections at the Modern Gallery, Zagreb
and the Modern Gallery, Rijeka, Croatia, the Umelecko-průmyslová Museum in Prague, the Czech Republic, the John Cleary Gallery in Houston, USA, the Verve Gallery of Photography in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA,the Stockeregg gallery, Switzerland, Kazutami Ando, Tokyo, Japan, as well as in other private and public collections.
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, Croatia.
Stanko Abadžić began his professional career in photography as a photojournalist for the Croatian daily newspaper Vjesnik
Vjesnik
Vjesnik is a Croatian daily newspaper, published in Zagreb. Through its history, it has been considered a newspaper of record.The paper was originally printed as a monthly publication by the League of Communists of Croatia starting in 1940...
. During that period he made well-known reportages from Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and other countries. After the onset of the Croatian war of independence
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
in 1991, Abadžić moved abroad and would not return to Croatia for many years. After four years in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, he spent seven years in the 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....
in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, a city which had the greatest impact on his artistic expression. At this point in his career he moved away from photojournalism towards art photography. In the Czech Republic he participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions, the largest of which was a retrospective exhibition at the gallery Dom Jozefa Sudka in Prague, on which occasion his first monograph U ogledalu života (In The Mirror of Life) was published. In 2002 he returned to Croatia and the Croatian photography scene with a large exhibition at the Mimara Museum
Mimara Museum
The Mimara Museum is an art museum in the city of Zagreb, Croatia. It is situated at the Roosevelt Square, housing the collection by Wiltrud and Ante Topić Mimara...
, where he exhibited In Absentia, his most famous series from Prague. As an art photographer Abadžić's works almost exclusively in black-and-white film, evoking a sense of nostalgia and times gone by in his works. The artist also cites the influence of old masters of photography like Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French photographer considered to be the father of modern photojournalism. He was an early adopter of 35 mm format, and the master of candid photography...
.
Abadžić has had solo exhibitions in numerous European countries: the Czech Republic, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Switzerland and Spain, to name a few. He has also exhibited outside of Europe in Argentina, the USA and Japan. He has received professional recognition as well as many awards for his work. Abadžić’s photographs are part of collections at the Modern Gallery, Zagreb
Modern Gallery, Zagreb
Modern Gallery is a museum in Zagreb, Croatia that holds the most important and comprehensive collection of paintings, sculptures and drawings by 19th and 20th century Croatian artists. The collection numbers around 10,000 works of art, housed since 1934 in the historic Vranyczany Palace in the...
and the Modern Gallery, Rijeka, Croatia, the Umelecko-průmyslová Museum in Prague, the Czech Republic, the John Cleary Gallery in Houston, USA, the Verve Gallery of Photography in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA,the Stockeregg gallery, Switzerland, Kazutami Ando, Tokyo, Japan, as well as in other private and public collections.
Publications on Stanko Abadžić
- Lah, Nataša Šegota, Stanko Abadžić, English Translations by: Tomislav Kuzmanović, (Zaprešić : Fraktura, 2007).
- Abadžić, Stanko, Marginalije/ Visual Wanderings, English translations by:Boris Gregorić, (Meandarmedia, 2009).