“To me, photography is not just a visual art, but something closer to poetry - or at least to some poetry, such as the haiku.” Frank Horvat
Eva is a freelance illustrator and photographer based in Czechia. She was born and grew up in the mountainous region in Northern Slovakia from where she moved to Olomouc to study philosophy at the Palacky University. After earning her degree, Eva went on to establish a career as a freelance graphic designer and illustrator specializing in children´s literature.
Eva has been intimately connected with photography since 2016. Her body of work falls under the genre of minimalist landscape and fine art photography. A minimalist approach, the absence of colors, the emphasis on space and texture connected with a sometimes near blank canvas provide Eva the necessary means to visually express herself creatively. “As a photographer, I seek beauty in basic geometric lines and shapes, which are bound in harmony with the elusive variability and diversity of natural, organic forms. I am fascinated by witnessing the fleeting moments when nature, under specific circumstances and on her own terms, offers simple and clean compositions in which I discover emotions that are both fundamental and universal. Capturing such visually reduced vistas creates a moment of respite in an otherwise complicated and complex network of reality. The paradox of the certainty that less is more, that the minimal hint of a landscape becomes larger in our minds as a result of our own perception, provides us with an opportunity to interpret and interact with the composition and its subtle details.”
Eva´s conceptual portrait/self-portrait photography is closely intertwined with her profession as an illustrator. Through the use of techniques such as line work, drawing or collage, she is able to infuse her portraits with surreal and symbolic elements, blurring the lines between reality and imaginary. The main theme of Eva´s portrait photography is a figure or face reduced in expression, and it serves as an initial frame, against which a fleeting moment of consciousness takes place in hints. “From a technical point of view, self-portraiture is a challenging discipline. It is a combination of somewhat chaotic preparation, careful setting and then, especially, an unrepeatable incident, which I would say is ´a lucky coincidence´...”
As a photographer, Eva finds herself drawn to creating series rather than single images. A series provides her with the opportunity to develop her concepts and articulate her aesthetic visions across a sequence of complementary images. By developing a series, Eva weaves together a visual theme that transcends the limitations of a single photograph, allowing to express her photographic intention in a more nuanced way.
Eva has received numerous international awards and her work has been featured in various magazines. In 2022, Eva was awarded the grand prize – the ´Grand Prix Gold Star Award´ – for the series ´Leaving´ in the prestigious international ND Photography Awards for which Eva received the title ND Discovery of the Year 2022.
Awards
2024
● Czech Art Photo 2024, Cena za umělecký přínos fotografii
● Czech Art Photo 2024, bronzová medaile, Fine Art kategorie
● Fine Art Photography Awards, 2024, 1st Place Winner, Landscape category, Curves of Fjords
● Fine Art Photography Awards, 2024, Nomination in Conceptual category, Nevermore
● Fine Art Photography Awards, 2024, Nomination in Conceptual category, Teeming grounds
● Fine Art Photography Awards, 2024, Nomination in Architecture category, Living in the Fjords
● Annual Photography Awards 2024, Third Place Winner, Fine Art/Conceptual, “Nevermore”
● Annual Photography Awards 2024, Honorable Mention, Fine Art/Places and Spaces, “Where Trees Play the Flutes”
2023
● Tokyo International Foto Awards, 2023, Honorable Mention, Fine Art-Collage / Non-Pro category, “Nevermore”
● Tokyo International Foto Awards, 2023, Honorable Mention, Fine Art-Landscape / Non-Pro category, “Curves of Fjords”
● Tokyo International Foto Awards, 2023, Honorable Mention, Fine Art-Landscape / Non-Pro category, “Unzip and Breathe”
● ND Photo Awards, 3rd place Bronze Star Award, Non-professional/Seascape, Waterscape category, “Net”, 2023
● ND Photo Awards, Honorable mention, Non-professional/Fine Art-Landscape category, “Edge of the Winter Sky”, 2023
● International Photography Awards 2023, 3rd prize, Non-professional / Fine Art, Abstract, “Net”, 2023
● International Photography Awards 2023, Honorable Mention, Non-professional / Fine Art Minimal/Minimalism, “Edge of the Winter Sky”, 2023
● Fine Art Photography Awards, Nomination in Amateur Seascape category, “Net”, 2023
● Fine Art Photography Awards, Nomination in Amateur Landscape category, “Edge of the Winter Sky”, 2023
● Minimalist Photography Awards, 5th edition, “Edge of the Winter Sky”, Honorable mention in landscape category, 2023
● Minimalist Photography Awards, 5th edition, “Unzip and Breathe”, Honorable mention in long exposure category, 2023
2022
● ND Photo Awards 2022, 1st place and Gold Star Award in Fine Art/Conceptual, ND DISCOVERY OF THE YEAR 2022, "Leaving"
● ND Photo Awards 2022, 2nd place and Silver Star Award in Non-professional / Fine Art / Landscape category, 2022, "Sirens of Winter"
● ND Photo Awards 2022, Honorable Mention in Non-professional/Fine Art/Landscape Category, 2022, " Brush´n´ink"
● Tokyo International Foto Awards, Bronze Winner in Fine Art- Portrait category, 2022
● International Photography Awards 2022, Honorable Mention, Non-professional / Fine Art Landscape category, Sirens of Winter, 2022
● International Photography Awards 2022, Honorable Mention, Non-professional / Fine Art Minimal/Minimalism category, Brush´n´ink, 2022
● International Photography Awards 2022, Official Selection, non-professional / Fine Art/Portrait category, Leaving, 2022
● Prix de la Photographie Paris, Bronze in Fine Art / People category, Non-Professional PX3, Leaving, 2022
● Minimalist Photography Awards, 4th edition, Leaving, Honorable Mention in Portrait category, 2022
● Minimalist Photography Awards, 4th edition, Fanal, Honorable Mention in Fine Art category, 2022
● Minimalist Photography Awards, 4th edition, Brush´n´ink, 2nd place in Landscape category, 2022
● Minimalist Photography Awards, 4th edition, Sirens of Winter, Honorable Mention in Fine Art category, 2022
● Fine Art Photography Awards, 2nd Place in Amateur Landscape category, Sirens of Winter
● Fine Art Photography Awards, Nomination in Amateur Landscape category, Highland Fields
● Fine Art Photography Awards, Nomination in Amateur Fine Art category, Silent Requiem
● Fine Art Photography Awards, Nomination in Amateur Fine Art category, Leaving
● Monochrome Photography Awards, Honorable mention in Fine Art category, Marker
2021
● Minimalist Photography Awards, Honorable mention in landscape categotry, Horizon Unexpected Series, 2021
● Minimalist Photography Awards, Honorable mention in landscape categotry, Swans, 2021
Media
2023
● Black&White Minimalist Magazine/annual book 2023, cover photography, feature
● Edge of Humanity Magazine, feature
2022
● Loves Art Will Travel (A travel, art, and design blog for the contemporary minimalist), interview, 2022
● Black&White Minimalist Magazine/issue 35, cover photo+portfolio 2021
● Black&White Minimalist Magazine/issue 32, one photo
Exhibitions
2024
● Space Café, Anděl, Prague, March-June 2024 (solo)
2022
● Ferentino Foto Festival, Italy, 9th-11th Sept. 2022 (group)