Already in the early 1980s, Vladimír Birgus was one of the first Czech photographers to deliberately explore the emotional and psychological effects of colour in subjectively conceived documentary images, which he created alongside his black and white work. Thanks to large areas of a single colour, the images acquire unrealistic elements that resemble abstract paintings more than unmanipulated depictions of reality. His sophisticated portrayal results from his unique perspective on unmanipulated reality. Vladimír Birgus does not stage objects but relies on discovering the phantasmal moments within seemingly ordinary scenes, where the real meets the surreal. In many encounters between people and their environments or responses to various coexisting stories, he refines the micro-stories of human existence. The closed narrative opens to broader pictorial planes, and the use of light enhances the overall composition. When viewing the subjective images of Vladimír Birgus, one can also discern a narrative about contemporary globalised society, loneliness amidst crowds, and the author’s own emotions. The sophistication of the events depicted is the result of his unique way of seeing unmanipulated reality.
Václav Podestát, curator