Pavel Banka has worked in many directions over the years; from drawing with light and layering multiple strobe exposures to straightforward documentary prints with objects added later and rephotographed, to a series of self portraits of him with his images. Some of his best work is figures, usually nude women, shot in the studio with simple props--the prints are beautifully split toned. He uses unusual objects in a sensuous way-a metal spring or bar gently touching (or almost touching) a face or breast. His sensitivity to light in the studio is extreme and often the figure seems to have a glow or halo-an aura. He says that to him the pictures are nostalgic because eventually the model will age and die, they are records of a moment that is passing. His most recent series is pictures of Terezin, a concentration camp near Prague, they are large empty rooms that hold the memory of human presence.
Alan Klotz Gallery
SK Josefsberg Gallery