Stanko Abadžić: “NUDES”
Lauba – House for People and Art, Zagreb
February 17 – 25, 2024

The opening of the exhibition is on February 17 at 19:00.

 

The House for People and Art, Lauba, prepared an exhibition of the internationally recognized photographer Stanko Abadžić this year as well. Forty extraordinary nudes will be exhibited in Lauba’s Great Hall from February 17 to 25, 2024. The exhibition is for sale, so if you have been thinking about investing in quality art, now is the right time to do so.

 

If the word “svjetlopis,” as the Croatian version of the word photography, took root, its morphological analysis would perfectly describe Stanko Abadžić’s photographic style. The masterful art of writing with light is the dominant layer in understanding the magnetically attractive photographs of Abadžić – a photographer who describes himself as having no message, not questioning anything, but simply photographing. Alongside the refined balance of light and darkness, Abadžić is also characterized by eternal curiosity and exceptional sensitivity in seeking the frame. His photography process largely involves playing with what is already there, what he encounters on location, fitting the model into the frame, and occasionally using props. Visually, these are smart and highly aesthetic shots, clever, with a frequently present dose of humor that can be discerned from the choice of props against the location or the pose of the model in the found environment. The clarity of the frame and form, the secluded locations, the contrast of light and darkness, and the non-invasiveness in the naturalness of the model’s movements contribute to almost surreal compositions. The perceptual power possessed by Abadžić is evident through the rhythm of natural shadows, the overlaying of shapes of body parts with spatial forms, and the ornamentation derived, both from natural shadows and through the shadows created by using props.

The selection of Stanko Abadžić’s photographs, presented in this exhibition, represents the best of contemporary Croatian photographic production. His artistic, black-and-white photographs are reminiscent of pioneering photographic techniques such as platinotype and wet collodion. Through decent, studious acts, Abadžić glorifies the beauty of the female body, the beauty of life. The process of adapting the model to the frame and the play of light and shadow enhance the beauty of the female body. Such a concept is achieved precisely because the main content of the photograph is not only the subject it depicts but also the emotions and atmosphere evoked by the scene. His photographs go beyond the superficial, but they are not symbolic or representative – he has no other message than the beauty of living.

Abadžić skillfully preserves the anonymity of the model, but due to the intimate atmosphere, we feel as if we know her. She seems to have become an archetype of respect for women. Sometimes she is in the foreground, covered with a veil, and when she is not immediately present, we search for her through the rhapsody of light and shadow.

 

The entrance to the exhibition opening is free, while tickets for other days are charged according to Lauba’s price list.

 

Exhibition opening hours:

MON-FRI from 09:00 to 19:00

SAT from 11:00 to 19:00

SUN from 11:00 to 17:00