Libuše Jarcovjáková – Evokativ

Untitled Publishing 2019

Shortlisted for the 2019 Aperture PhotoBook Award ‘ Photobook of the Year’

The visually striking work of Libuše Jarcovjáková stands out among photography from the second half of the twentieth century. From the start, Jarcovjáková uses a personal, clearly-composed style, mixing the raw with the poetic. The street, night, sex, work, alcohol, love, and depression are captured with a self-destructive lack of restraint. Unafraid of imperfection, she portrays the world around her, other people, and her feelings of apparent hopelessness with unwavering honesty. The exhibition Evokativ features photographs taken between 1970 and 1989 in communist Czechoslovakia during a dark period of political oppression and lack of personal freedom. Jarcovjáková’s photographs, on the other hand, recount freedom, express fluidity and atmosphere, and bear an authentic and clear-eyed witness to the life of an artist.