"Nowhere" Series By Michel Rajkovic
MICHEL RAJKOVIC
Born in 1974, Michel Rajkovic lives in Massachusetts, near Boston.
For several years, his desire for escapism has taken him all over the world, but his search for an emotional dimension was not totally fulfilled, even when surrounded by the most beautiful sceneries. His vision of photography evolved, moving from a classical representation to an artistic universe where reality and oneirism combine themselves. Through a minimalist and surgical approach, his work is shading the reality to the benefit of the symbolism.
His photos find their essence in this ambiguity. They surprise and make us wonder at the same time. He transforms the landscape in its representation but, above all, in its reason to be.
Then the landscape becomes a purpose to bring us into an inner journey.
NOWHERE
"Nowhere does not exist. It is an illusion, a distortion of the reality, oscillating between two worlds."
Michel Rajkovic brings us into a paradoxical universe where we are reassured by the materiality of the landscapes and, at the same time, destabilized by the unreality of the scenes. Like metaphors, the photos oscillate between reality and oneirism and their meaning is beyond the scene itself. By his minimalist approach, he is searching for the emotional dimension hidden in the invisible. However, his vision goes far beyond delight. It is not only the locations but mainly the emotions related to them which interest him. This dreamlike vision of the landscape is not supported by any computer assistance. The places, the lights, and the atmospheres are real, the impression of fantasy comes from a special shooting technique reinforced by the timeless strength and the poetry of the black and white.
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No room for improvisation, each photo is previously mentally built. Like a director, Michel Rajkovic positions the setting, direct the light and choose its atmospheres ... The difficult part is to have a perfect match between the mental construction and the reality because at the end nature decides, inevitably.
A real search for the right light starts then, search for the ideal conditions of the shooting forcing Michel Rajkovic to come back again and again on the spot, waiting for the perfect alchemy to happen and to make sure that the photo imagined becomes reality.
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In these very rare moments, Michel Rajkovic half-opens the door of his imagination and bring us into a journey in the middle of nowhere...
Selected awards:
Whether through solo or group exhibitions, his photographs have been presented in New York, Fort Collins (CO), Miami (FL), United Kingdom, Greece and France. Many prizes and selections have rewarded his work: Gold Award at «Loupe Awards», 1st prize in the category Fine-Art at the «PX3-
- Member of the jury oh the Monochrome Awards, 2016
- “Public
- Selected for the 155rd International Print Exhibition - Royal Photographic Society, London, 2013
- Selected for the Bristol Festival of Photography Exhibition, UK, 2012
- Selected for the Black & White Selection - Center for Fine Art Photography - Fort Collins (CO), USA, 2012
- Gold Award for the image "Le Carrelet" at the International Loupe Awards, Australia, 2011
- 3rd price, "Book project - Nature category" for the Iceland Serie, PX3, Prix de la
- 1st price, "Book project - Nature category" for the Iceland Serie by the people's choice, PX3 Paris, 2011
- Participation in the 153rd International Print Exhibition - Royal Photographic Society", London, 2010-2011
- Selected for the "Festival International de l'Image Environnementale" Exhibition, Paris, 2010
- Honorable Mention, Fine Art category, B&W Spider Awards, 2010
- Participation in the "Athens Photo Festival", 2009
- 3rd price, "Bridge" category, IPA, International Photography Awards, 2009
- Participation on the "Best Of Show" New-York USA, IPA, International Photography Awards,2009
- 4
- 4
- 1st price, Fine Art category, Prix de la
- 1st price, Fine Art category - Abstract", Prix de la
- 2
- Finalist, Arles - SFR - Jeunes Talents, 2008
Past selected exhibitions:
Solo exhibition :
- Galerie Fontaine Obscure, Aix en Provence, France, May 2016
- Hotel Lutetia, Paris, France, September - November 2013
- French Institute Athens, Athens Photo Festival, Greece 2009
- Galerie du Lucernaire, Paris, France 2009
- Galerie du Lucernaire, Paris, France 2008
- Galerie La Vitrine, La Madeleine, France 2008
- Galerie du Lucernaire, Paris, France 2007
Group exhibitions :
- Art at Warehouse, Somerville, MA, USA, May 2018
- PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT, USA, December 2017
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- Galerie Darkroom - Nice, France, July 2016
- Rendez-vous Image, Strasbourg, France, January 2016
- 155rd International Print Exhibition - Royal Photographic Society , London, UK, 2012-2013
- Gallery The Lunch Box, Miami (FL), USA, May - July 2012
- Black & White Selection - Center for Fine Art Photography - Fort Collins (CO), USA, April-May 2012
- Galerie de l'Europe, Paris, France, 2011
- 153rd International Print Exhibition - Royal Photographic Society , London, UK, 2010 - 2011
- Splashlight Studio, Best of Show, IPA, New York, USA, 2009
- Festival de
- Galerie Acte2 - Prix de la Photographie Paris PX3, Paris, France 2008
Selected Publications:
- Interview: "Art of
- Web:
- Interview Web: Monovisions, July 2015
- Catalogue: exhibition Rendez-vous Image, France, 2016
- Cover + interview: Black+White Photography magazine, UK, September 2013
- Web: Petapixel.com, December 2014
- Cover: Digital Camera magazine, UK, July 2013
- Publication: Foto magazine (6 pages article), Poland, February 2013
- Interview WEB: ND magazine, February 2012
- Publication: «PhotoPlus» magazine, UK, 2012
- Web: TrendTablet, December 2011
- Cover: Digital Camera, UK, September 2011
- Cover + interview: Photographer magazine, Ukraine, August 2010
- Cover exhibition catalogue: the 153rd International Print Exhibition - Royal Photographic Society , UK - 2010
- Catalogue: Athens Photo Festival, Greece, November 2009
- Publication : Shots Magazine, USA, November 2008
- Publication : Photofan magazine (10 pages article), France, October 2008
- Catalogue : PX3 Annual Book 2008, Paris, 2008