An artist behind the "art" of travel in the Czech Republic

Bohdan Holomicek

“That’s my second....no wait...third wife!”, Holomicek proclaims loudly after rolling his eyes to the back of his head, searching for a thought while facing a photo he took years ago. Subsequently, this incites a roar of laughter from the class as he changes the music accompanying the projected photo slideshow to a lively samba number.

Holomicek is a now-legendary photographer that helped revolutionize the photography medium by taking photographs without any real intent behind them. That is to say, Holomicek manages to capture entrancing images by highlighting the everyday moments in life that most people don’t pay much attention to. By using this method of candid photography, Bohdan manages to grasp the authenticity of the moment without any attempt to communicate any specific message or agenda. By doing this, Holomicek allows the viewer of any of his work to interpret it in a personal way, as opposed to the “in your face” presentation most photographers use to attract viewers to their work. However, by having such honest moments captured in his work, likely due to his lack of formal training, he provides a window of familiarity and relativity for anyone who views his work.

Bohdan never ceases to fascinate people with his work. In a book wrote about Holomicek, author Antonin Dufek states that, “[the] photographs of utterly banal situations…contain the eternity of repetitions so important for that feeling of certainty: perhaps the world will not fall apart yet.” Glance once at the aged figure before you and you may only see a man with a weathered face, aged hands, a balding head and a beard that resembles snow, yet isn’t ready to give up its battle for youth just yet. This beard, now showing its bearer’s age, yet still refusing to conform to its maturity by boldly displaying untamed patches of dirty blond hair, is much like the man behind it: Older and wiser, but still refusing to be anything but youthful and carefree. Walking into the classroom, anticipation was in the air as everyone glanced excitedly at the famous Czech photographer before us. His longtime good friend, Jan Machacek introduces him to the class by stating that he is “one of the craziest people I’ve ever met in my life.” Jan states that though Bohdan is, in his words, “crazy and all over the place”, that he is a great friend and family man. Perhaps that is why his photos reflect upon his own humility and self-deprecation, having no air of pretentiousness to them; simply a raw honesty that has yet to be realized in most posed photographs seen today. One can see that the fact that his work is hanging in Paris’s world-renowned Centre d’Arts Visuels doesn’t phase him for a second, and that he would be equally as happy to lead life without notoriety.

Most people have a defining quality that makes them specifically memorable. Bohdan Holomicek’s most notable feature is the mischievous smile that infectiously reaches his eyes as students enter the room. It is that of a young boy that knows all the while that he’s doing something he isn’t supposed to, but decides to take a risk and does it anyway. And indeed, he does take risks. Holomicek tells students that he has not used a film camera for the last four years, opting to use digital instead, causing quite a commotion within the world of photography among his peers and admirers. Holomicek says that he “has nothing to prove”, citing that he’s already past the phase in his life where his photos being displayed in galleries were his top priority. Yet, for every critic Holomicek attracts, an admirer appears to come to his defense. In the article, “Photography as Life’s Adventure,” journalist Karel Dvorak said that in terms of method, “instead of the hidden camera, Holomicek engages in open dialogue with people.  [He is] interesting and innovative, not a documentarist.” The kindred spirit says that he was initially opposed to the idea of digital photography, (in his words, he felt “too old”) until his friends bought him a small digital camera as a joke towards his prudish approach to photography. After toying with the camera for a bit, he enjoyed the idea of not having to continually buy film, which sold him. “Initially, I carried two cameras everywhere I went, one digital and one film, and then I just gave in.” Holomicek then tells us how he now only does photography for theatre companies and for his own pleasure.

Holomicek talks to the audience through a translator, Professor Jan Machacek, yet none of his emotion or enthusiasm is lost in translation. When asked why he took black and white photos even when color technology was available, he grinned a crooked smile, creasing his wrinkled forehead and replied, “Because it was cheap and no additional technology was needed.” Holomicek is a bundle of energy and humor as he detailed his exploits about using his friends and family as unwilling photography subjects in some rather interesting photos that did nothing to hide the subjects’ disdain and embarrassment over the photos being taken. Indeed, his friends and family do serve as the inspiration for his photos. According to him, family is “where everything comes from.” Holomicek’s first camera was given to him one Christmas in the late 1950’s, and he used all of the several rolls of film given to him with the camera in a matter of hours. As Holomicek stares proudly at the slideshow cataloguing he and his family’s life since the day he got the camera (one photo selected by Holomicek is presented from every year until the present), one can see Holomicek’s brow wrinkle with a twinge of sadness because of family members that have likely passed on.

The thrice married and divorced photographer leaves the audience with a bit of advice as feet start shuffling in preparation for an exit, “You should take pictures of yourself with your partners, so that you can remember that you were able to grab a few good-looking ones before you got married!” The class chuckles softly, prompting Holomicek to state “Do take pictures of yourself through the years though, as it will serve as your legacy when you are no longer here.” He then self-depricatingly states that he did the same, only because he had nothing else to take pictures of. As the last few members of the audience gather their belongings, he flashes that mischievous smile one last time, and one can’t help but think what a legacy he will truly leave behind, indeed.

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