Václav Stratil is a graphic artist, painter, performance artist and musician – but, above all, a photographer. And it is the photographs of Václav Stratil that I would like to focus on here – to be precise, the part of his photographic oeuvre that he himself defines as »communal photography«. In essence, »communal photography« means that Václav Stratil has visited public photo studios at irregular intervals since the end of the eighties and start of the nineties and had himself photographed there in prepared situations. These situations draw above all on performance art of the seventies, which took an ironic slant and aimed to reveal new connections. The situations also manifest a playful approach to the meaning of identity in the Central European context. I should like here to describe six series involving »communal photography«, and then attempt to define their backgrounds as precisely as possible. The first series is from 1991, and the last was completed in 2004.
The first series has the title »Reholní pacient«. In it, Stratil defined the principles and methods that are also employed in the following series. He had pictures, recalling passport photos, taken of himself in photo studios in prepared situations. Recently he has been using photo booths at railway stations and in other locations, particularly in the penultimate series, »Nedelám nic« (I Do Nothing). The photographs show Stratil with a variety of objects. For example, he holds a photograph of mating rhinoceroses in his hand, or bites into a ring while being photographed, giving the impression that his face is surrounded by a halo. As Stratil says, what interested him was the confrontation between the standardised methods typical of photo studios and situations that ironically reflect Czech performance art of the seventies (such as that by Karel Miler, Petr Stembera and Zdenek Mlcoch). Working like this in a tense atmosphere represents the desire of the individual for a separating-off of the private sphere within the space of a public photo studio. The second series of »communal photography« bears the title »Sedm« (Seven). In these pictures, Václav Stratil poses together with Luba Kmetová – both in classic double portraits and naked. This was followed by the series »_eská krajina« (Bohemian Landscape, 1998). Here, besides himself, Stratil had other artists pose too - Jirí David and his family and the artists group Luxus, as well as the curator Martin Dostál in double portraits with himself. This series not only recalls family photography of the 19th and 20th century, but also gives expression to the delicate game of the relationship between curator and artist – and their family backgrounds -, which are not present in the usual art industry. A reference to the film director Ingmar Bergmann also appears here.
In 2001 a part of the fourth series, entitled » Devet« (Nine), was exhibited for the first time. The whole series comprises eighty photographs. Václav Stratil had the indoor and outdoor photographs in this series taken by a professional photographer, and this time he did not use public photo studios either. Here, Stratil drew his inspiration from the region surrounding the city of Bruntál, a region between northeastern Bohemia and northwestern Moravia that was part of the Sudetenland. This area is marked by expulsion and the ensuing problems brought about by the quest for identity. Stratil demonstrates his outstanding feel for atmospheres of alienation, something expressed chiefly by the position he takes up in the photographs.
The fifth series, with the title »Nedelám nic« (I Do Nothing), was finished in 2004. From a formal and thematic point of view, it is the closest to the series »Reholní pacient«. It was executed over a period of two years. Stratil had himself regularly photographed and tried to use changes in his appearance to express changes in his identity. For example, he changed within a few days from being a shabby pensioner to a man who is obviously at pains to make up the lost years of his youth. This is not necessarily a paraphrase of the performance art of the seventies (although the whole series can be called a performance), but is rather a game with the artist’s own identity.
The last series so far, »Dvojice« (Pairs), was started in 2003. In all the pictures, Stratil had himself photographed with either his son, assistants, collectors or his partner – and also in an imaginary double portrait with fellow artist Jirí David, who appears in the picture on the T-shirt worn by Stratil.
Whereas » Reholní pacient« still focuses very much on history, the themes of Stratil’s works have increasingly shifted over the years towards a reflection on his own identity. The method Stratil uses to do so is interesting, because this is not usual in Czech art. This method can be summarized as an attempt by an artist to look for his identity, but not by means of intellectual analysis. The result is rather an »unlimited« identity that cannot be analysed. Václav Stratil tries to depict identity by using the endless, multileveled complexity of the images. This can be seen most clearly in the series »Nedelám nic« (I Do Nothing). By constantly changing his appearance, he refuses to take up a politically correct attitude – an attitude that is unchanging and permanent. This is precisely what he is often criticized for in the Czech art scene: that it is just a game that eschews a modern political attitude.
Another important theme in Stratil’s oeuvre is pairs. Pairs enter Stratil’s work from the second series on; the last series consists solely of photographs of pairs. In all of them, he poses with another person, who is always presented by Stratil in such a way as to reflect the relationship he has to this person. The way Stratil works with these people recalls Bergman films like »Scenes from a Marriage«. This can be seen best in the double portrait with his son. The most important thing in these photographs is a relationship that is not apparent at first sight. The same goes for the other photographic works. They are spectacular and arouse in the viewers the need for communication and engagement.
Stratil’s efforts aim to change the experienced stereotypes. One’s own reality is to be lived instead of a mediated reality. It would, however, be an error to believe that Stratil wants to lock himself into his own reality. The spectacular in his work, particularly in »Dvojice«, shows that precisely the opposite is the case.
Translated by Timothy Jones