Following in the footsteps of Julia Margaret Cameron, renowned Czech photographer Honza Sakar’s first UK exhibition has opened on the Isle of Wight.
Appropriately, his one-man show is at Dimbola, once Julia’s home, in Freshwater Bay. How this exhibition came about is interesting…
Anna Keen, who is the current artist in residence at Dimbola and Roger Eaton were at an art exhibition when they met Honza who studies, lives and works in Prague. At the time they were looking for someone who could undertake the wet-collodion process which had been used by Julia and Honza had been studying this process for 5 years.
The wet-collodion process, invented in the 1850’s, involves what can only be described as an amalgamation of chemicals (some poisonous), liquids, light and plenty of patience. Often during the process in his Prague studio Honza repeats the black-hand staining process reminiscent of the pioneering lady photographer. Many things can and do go wrong but this makes for unusual plates and prints. In a modern process Honza scans the plates which are then manipulated in a computer programme but it is still unusual to get a perfect plate.
Anna and Roger suggested to Honza that he might like a visit to the UK and having recently re-discovered on old toy London red double decker bus in his belongings he agreed. They suggested that he ventured not only to London but over to the Island to see Julia’s former home. So, come February 2018 Honza came for a month long stay at Freshwater Bay.
Producing mainly black and white prints Honza’s main focus is portraiture and documentary photographs plus the occasional landscape. Hence the bulk of his show features the former category but whilst staying on the Island Honza has produced a series of landscapes of West Wight which are displayed in the Charles Hay Gallery at Dimbola.
3 stalwarts of Dimbola – Dr Brian Hinton MBE, Michael Robinson and Roger Eaton – are among the portraits displayed in the other galleries of Dimbola.
In opening the exhibition Brian described the results of Honza’s work coming about by employing an old technique to embrace new startling results, which were stunning. He then invited Honza, who was once again staying at Freshwater Bay, to lead everyone to Silent Portraits.
Incidentally, some of Anna Keen’s work can be viewed in the Dimbola Tearoom whilst the new exhibition can be found in the upstairs galleries where it will run until the 15th July.
