The images of the main reference material from which I created the collages come from a vintage book from the 1950s about hunting in the former Czechoslovakia. In the 1950s, Czechoslovakia had over 100,000 organized hunters who hunted for both passion and sport. The book primarily depicts white men, portraying "ordinary citizens hunting various game as a way to contribute to the prosperity of their beautiful country."
For me, this work symbolizes how human relationships with animals, nature, and society as a whole are fundamentally centered around power. The drama of inequality and underlying power structures is the central theme of the piece. I have combined the main reference material with other vintage sources, incorporating images of non-Western women and children.
The women, children, and animals depicted—seemingly trapped within the images—struggle to break free with fierce spirit. Society remains a raw and unforgiving place, where survival of the fittest is still the dominant ideology. This continues to anger me. How can ‘soft powers’ resist, strike back, and liberate themselves from dominant forces? I aim to challenge prevailing narratives, highlight resilience, and inspire viewers to reconsider the values of empathy, cooperation, and inner strength in the context of survival and societal structures.
Original analog collages and limited editions of 5 + 2 AP. Sizes between 30 × 60 cm and 60 × 60 cm
The series was selected for the Incadaques Photofestival 2024
