Expositions
New collection ‘Magnificent 24’ – photo underwater.
Specification: size A1, kapa – polyamic (matt), wood frame, 24 + 3 pcs frames (autobiography)
However proud native of walachian Vizovice I have to apologize to my hometown. Hills with grazing sheep did not become my predestination but unexplored deep ocean did.
I dive with the most dangerous creatures occupying the wet universe but my heart belongs to the most predaceous being of this planet – the shark. Dives with four hundred million years old predator have always been a punt and there is nothing but the fascinating moment when the shark allows me to touch it. It is not just a tender stroke but operation and communication by means of touching spots that are situated very close to hundreds of teeth of the monster. “It may be a human deviancy,” one would say and as my journalist-fellow once said: ‘Richard Jaroněk loves hateful animals!’
The truth is that where most people do not dare to get closer, I switch on my camera. Once the ‚hated hyena‘ is coming closer, I do a step forward. As soon as sharks are furious with the putrescent decoy on the surface I‘m putting on the kit and jumping to water. Looking into eyes of a Puff Adder snake and being aware its poison can put an end to your dreams or feeding the Siberian tiger… Those are the moments that give me energy. I am not frightened in these situations and I believe there is something ‘between heaven and earth’ and the common man is able to communicate with the Great White Shark.
The more I dive and visit deserted places in the world, the more I realize the Nature is disappearing. Sharks we just named and started to identify are killed off soon. Fish populations are beyond recovery and oceans are dying out. In relation to the planet human beings behave like the worst bastards ever brought into existence. There is no being on the Earth enjoying destruction and killing so much.
I realize that the world our parents once knew and we are living in now will not be possible to save for our children. In future they will ask why and we will just look at them ashamed. The only thing, which can relieve us, will be a few dingy photographs of strange creatures. As bearded old men we will sit with our grandparents on our knees and show them how the lion or tuna looked like. Or the shark which had survived the ice-age and dinosaurs era but it did not bear rough rampage of humans.
Take a careful look round ’24 magnificent’animals. Some of them have already been killed for fear or for fun, the other ones have died in aquariums.
‘Magnificent 24’ create a small piece of colourfulness of our wet planet. Fortunately there still are places where we can find such wonderful world.
For the time being.