Jitka Hanzlova'
dal 29/5/2012 al 1/9/2012
Segnalato da
29/5/2012
Jitka Hanzlova'
Fundacion Mapfre Sala Azca, Madrid
Composed of 9 series and 142 photographs, this exhibition is organised around the artist's chronology, in an attempt to reconstruct the vital links between her earliest and most recent series, and to offer a coherent reading of her last 20 years of work.
curator Isabel Tejeda
On 30 May, FUNDACIÓN MAPFRE will present, for the first time in Spain, an exhibition dedicated
to the work of photographer Jitka Hanzlová. Born in Náchod in the Czech Republic in 1958,
Hanzlová is recognised across today’s international scene. In her work, Hanzlová seeks out the
essence of individuals, nature and objects and highlights the relationships and tensions that occur
between them. In this way she creates powerful images, encapsulating the force of presence of the
objects and beings she represents.
This exhibition, organised by FUNDACIÓN MAPFRE, is the first international retrospective of
Hanzlová’s work. Her most representative series will be on show, together with three new, unseen
ensembles: Horses, Flowers and There is Something I Don’t Know.
FUNDACIÓN MAPFRE collaborated very closely with the artist in the production of the last part of the
series There is Something I Don’t Know, for which the photographs were taken in Madrid.
Born in 1958 in the former Socialist Republic of Czechoslovakia, Hanzlová fled the communist regime
and took refuge in Essen (in the Federal Republic of Germany) in 1982. Her condition as exile strongly
marks her artistic trajectory. Between 1987 and 1994 she took a course in Communication
Techonology at the University of Essen, specialising in photography. From then on, she organised her
work around different series in which she reflects upon her own life experiences, and upon the
representation of the places and themes in the history of art.
Hanzlová’s international acclaim was confirmed with the series Rokytník (1990-1994), in which she
represents the small Czech village in which she had grown up, and Female (1997-2000), assembling
portraits of women from diverse countries. From this point on, Hanzlová began winning prestigious
awards in the field of photography, such as the Prix Otto Steinert in 1993, the European Photography
Award and the grant of the DG Bank of Frankfurt in 1996, the Grand Prix des Rencontres d’Arles in
2003 and the BMW Prize – Paris Photo in 2007.
Composed of 9 series and 142 photographs, the Madrid exhibition is organised around the artist’s
chronology, in an attempt to reconstruct the vital links between her earliest and most recent series,
and to offer a coherent reading of her last 20 years of work.
The catalogue for this exhibition, edited by FUNDACIÓN MAPFRE, is the first publication to offer a
global impression of the work of Jitka Hanzlová, reproducing 142 photographs from the exhibition.
Published in Spanish, English and German, the catalogue includes an essay on the Hanzlová’s full
body of work and an interview with the photographer by Isabel Tejeda, curator of the exhibition. The
photographic series are fully annotated with essays by specialists such as John Berger, Terézia Mora,
Zdenek Felix and Jésus Carrillo. The publication is completed with a biography, signed by Carlos
Martín, and an exhibition list of the artist.
Image: Untitled, Flowers series, 2009 © Jitka Hanzlová
Press contacts:
Marina Bradbury Account Manager AGENDA T +33 1 49950806 E mbradbury@agendacom.com
Alejandra Fernández T +34 91 5818464 E: alejandra@mapfre.com
Fundacion Mapfre
Sala Azca, Av. General Perón no 40, Madrid, Spain