Following a national competition, the Croatian Photo Association (Hrvatski Fotosavez) have chosen the best Croatian artistic photography of the year. 10 incredible images will now represent Croatia in the prestigious Biennial of the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP) in Paris.
The International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP – Fédération Internationale de l’Art Photographique)
The International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP – Fédération Internationale de l’Art Photographique) is an international organization of national associations of photography. More than 85 national associations are members, comprising nearly one million individual photographers.
FIAP was founded by M. Van de Wijer of Belgium in 1946. Its first congress took place in Bern, Switzerland in 1950. At this time, one of the national photographic associations represented was that of Yugoslavia. Following the federation’s break up, each of its former republics now runs its own national photography association. Continuing a 70 year tradition, they still enter the prestigious International Federation of Photographic Art Biennial.
FIAP congresses have grown so large over the years, they are now seperated into different categories and held once every two years. Black and white and nature photography have their biennials one year, and the next year colour photography gets its biennial. The competition congress visits different countries each year. The 2021 FIAP Colour Biennial will be held in Paris, France.
The FIAP Colour Biennial competition and congress is split into two parts. The oldest, and arguably the most prestigious part of the competition, sees the best photography appearing in print and displayed individually upon the walls of the host venue. 10 examples of the best Croatian artistic photography of the year have been chosen by Hrvatski Fotosavez to represent Croatia in this section of the event.
A further 20 Croatian entries will appear in the congress’s other section – projected photography. These entries are submitted digitally, rather than in print, to be shown in projection at the event.
Following a national competition, the Croatian Photo Association have chosen the best Croatian artistic photography of the year to represent Croatia in the prestigious congress and competition.
The Croatian Photo Association (Hrvatski Fotosavez)
The Croatian Photo Association (Hrvatski Fotosavez) is the legal successor of the Photographic Association of Croatia, founded on March 27, 1949 in Zagreb, and the historical successor of the Croatian Amateur Photographic Association, founded on June 11, 1939 in Zagreb. Its members are individual photography clubs and societies from all over Croatia. From their ranks, the best Croatian artistic photography of the year have been chosen.
Photography and cinema club ‘Picok’ from Đurđevac (Foto kino klub Picok, Đurđevac)
For the 2021 entries to the Colour Photography Biennial in Paris, special mention must be given to the remarkable achievements of one society of photographers from the town of Đurđevac. Of the 30 photographs selected to represent Croatia in this year’s competition, no less than 8 of them came from members of this one photography society. In addition to Mato Zeman and Željko Car, who are interviewed below, works by Ivan Hećimović and Ivan Nemet were also selected. According to these results, Photography and cinema club ‘Picok’ from Đurđevac are the most successful association in this year’s Croatian Photo Association competition. Coincidentally, the four Đurđevac photographers had a large joint exhibition of award-winning photographs in Đurđevac just last year. After the event, all 40 works exhibited were donated by the photographers to the city of Đurđevac. Bravo Picoki!
FIAP, Hrvatski Fotosavez and the 10 photographers chosen for 2021 FIAP Colour Biennial have kindly given Total Croatia News exclusive permission to reproduce this year’s print entries. Here, we profile the best Croatian artistic photography of the year and meet the photographers.
The Best Croatian Artistic Photography 2021
Damir Rajle ‘Sunshine Road’
Croatian artistic photography by Damir Rajle
My name is Damir Rajle. I am semi-professional photographer from Osijek. My primary profession is cartographer and land surveyor, mostly involved in digital orthophoto and topographic maps. My photograph ‘Sunshine Road’ is a wine road in Baranja. I am very often in that exact place. But, that day, the setting sun was directly ahead and so I tried a couple of shots. Suddenly, a boy came along, silhouetting himself against the sunlit road. The naturally hilly landscape of the vineyard adds to the composition.
Dušan Grbac ‘Žuti’
Croatian artistic photography by Dušan Grbac
My name is Dušan Grbac and I was born in 1960, in Rovinj. I started shooting and developing black and white photography in 1975. I developed the photographs on my own in a small, analogue darkroom at home. In 1982 I became a member of the Photo Club Rovinj and thereafter participated in a number of exhibitions. In 2002 I embraced digital photography. I actually work as an IT specialist. In my free time, I like to engage in photography and I’ve held dozens of lectures and workshops about photography. I’d really like to pass on to others everything I’ve learned about photography over the years. ‘Žuti’ (Yellow) was actually taken in January 2006 in the Italian town of Dobbiaco. The annual balloon show was held at a temperature of -16 °C! This made the sky crystal blue. I couldn’t resist that tonal contrast, the colours… and ‘voila’.
Mirjana Spajić Buturac ‘Saturn’
Croatian artistic photography by Mirjana Spajić Buturac
My name is Mirjana Spajić Buturac. I’m originally from Vinkovci, but I have been living in Zagreb for 20 years. I studied in Osijek and by profession, I am a professor of mathematics and informatics. I’ve been interested in photography since my student days. However, it was a colleague, Professor Vladimir Šimunić that truly awoke my passion for photography in me and in 2014 I certified as a photographer, enrolled in Fotoklub Zagreb and started participating in photography competitions. I took an online course at Udemy to perfected my use of Photoshop and photo processing. I work at the School of Crafts for Personal Services in Zagreb, which, among other things, has a photography major, and in addition to mathematics and computer science, I now also teach digital photography. I am so happy that photography has become a part of my job! ‘Saturn’ was taken in December 2020. It shows drops of olive oil in water. Under the influence of ultraviolet light and a fluorescent poster under the bowl of water, the oil droplets took on a three-dimensional effect. My seven-year-old son Leon noticed that the largest droplet had a dark ring, like Saturn. That’s how the photo got its name.
Mato Zeman ‘Spring Fields’
Croatian artistic photography by Mato Zeman
My name is Mato Zeman and photography has been my hobby for long time. I live in Kloštar Podravski, a small village in Podravina, between the river Drava on the north and Bilogora mountain on the south. In my full0time job I worked in the 112 Emergency Centre in Koprivnica, but I’ve now been retired for 2 years. Photography is my hobby for a long time. I’ve participated in several international photo contests. In 2015, FIAP awarded me the honorary title FIAP Artist and three years later the title EFIAP (Excellence Fédération Internationale de l’Art Photographique). I am a member of the Photo and Cinema club ‘Picok’ in Đurđevac. I’m also a member of the local artistic association ‘Kloštranska paleta’ in my home village. Two of my works were selected for FIAP 2021 Biennial of Colour Photography in France and will represent my country. I am very proud of this. The one appearing in print ‘Spring Fields’ was taken at the fields of young corn on the slopes of Bilogora. The rows of corn are in a nice S line, the sky is partly cloudy with the sun shining through.
Nenad Martić ‘Red, White and Blue 2’
Croatian artistic photography by Nenad Martić
My name is Nenad Martić. I was born in 1951 in Zagreb, where I graduated from the Department of Fine Arts at the Faculty of Education, University of Zagreb.I devoted most of my professional career to graphic design and illustration, beginning in the 1980s with the Start and Svijet magazines. The second half of my career was marked by the gradual introduction of a new artistic expression; digital photography. Free of assignment of specific commissions and deadlines, artistic photography became a passion. I dedicated myself to it for the last ten years. I take different kinds of photographs, but I most prefer street photography. It’s a kind of documentary photography, focusing on the nuances of human gestures and street context, capturing and conveying the moment to those who are not there. 2014 was a turning point for me because I joined Photo Club Zagreb. Thereafter, I had three solo exhibitions, was included in over a hundred group ones and won several international and national awards and nominations. These included the Ferdinand Soprano Grand Prix and the Viktor Hreljanovic Award from Photo Club Rijeka in 2019, most successful author and the most successful Croatian author at the 39th Zagreb Salona in 2020 and I won the prestigious Tošo Dabac Award 2019 for outstanding contribution to photography in Croatia. My photo ‘Red, White and Blue 2’ was taken on the island of Lošinj. The model is my daughter. It is one of a series of photographs taken with red cloth.
Silvija Butković ‘Together’
Croatian artistic photography by Silvija Butkovic
My name is Silvija Butkovic and I was born in 1964 in Osijek, Croatia. As a child, I lived on the island Lošinj. I returned to Slavonia when I entered University. I now live and work in Đakovo as manager of tourism an public relations at the State Stud Farm Đakovo (National Lipizzan Stud Farm Đakovo – Državna ergela Đakovo). Language and photography are my great loves. Lately, I’ve been making photo haigas, a Japanese combination of poetry and photography. The World Haiku Association recently awarded me the title Master of Haiga for my work. You can see some of it on their website www.worldhaiku.net/haiga. Lošinj and the heart of the Slavonian plain are a constant inspiration. I also adore horses and I love watching them through the camera. I’m a member of ‘Photo-cinema Club Djakovo’, ‘Photo-Club Rijeka’ and ‘Matica Hrvatska’
Željko Car ‘Spring’
Croatian artistic photography by Željko Car
My name is Željko Car. I’m a lawyer by profession. I first published photos in newspapers (I was a correspondent for several). Since 1984 I’ve participated in exhibitions in many countries around the world. I have more than 300 awards and diplomas, and I received the honorary title of EFIAP. Two of my photos were selected for the 2021 Biennial of Colour Photography in France – ‘Spring’ and ‘Snow on the river bank’. Both photos were taken near Đurđevac, the city where I live. With ‘Spring’ I wanted to show the beauty and ambient values of the area where I live. It was actually taken in the spring of 2000.
Aleksandar Tomulić ‘Valencia 5’
Croatian artistic photography by Aleksandar Tomulić
My name is Aleksandar Tomulić and I’m from Rijeka. I’m a semi-professional photographer. My main profession is IT. I’ve been taking photos since I was a kid. I was born in 1967. I became more seriously involved in photography in 2004. It’s the magic of capturing an unrepeatable moment that fascinates me, and the feel for light and composition. I prefer street photography and seaside motifs, and I like to experiment with abstract images. Since 2013 I’ve volunteered to give classes and workshops. I’d like to pass on what I’ve learned about photography. I’ve had 15 one-man shows, participated in over 500 group shows and received over 320 awards. The Croatian Photo Association have selected my work ten times to represent Croatia at FIAP Biennales. I’m a member of ‘Fotoklub Color’ and ‘Fotoklub Pag.’ My photo ‘Valencia 5’ was taken, of course, in Valencia in the City of Art and Science. I took the shot in 2018. That new part of Valencia is the concept of famous architect Santiago Calatrava.
Ante Jaša ‘Knot in Passage’
Croatian artistic photography by Ante Jaša
My name is Ante Jaša. I was born on 19th October 1951 in Kukljica-Zadar. From the earliest days of my childhood, I played with a ‘box camera’ we had at home. My grandfather bought it in New York. He could never have known this would lead to his grandson having solo photography exhibitions in out home town. In 1970, my photography and writing started to be published in dailies (newspapers), weeklies and journals. By 1999 I’d progressed to be on the editorial board of the feuilleton “Mareta” (Wave) in the paper “Narodni list” – Zadar. I’ve exhibited my works at 418 collective exhibitions on every continent and have received numerous awards. I’m a member of the photo clubs ‘Zagreb’, ‘Zadar’ and ‘Kornat’ Kukljica. Sea and stone are the main motifs of my work. There’s an inherent tension between them which I’m exploring. By taking photographs of both traditional and modern ways of life on the islands near Zadar, I show their natural ambience, the sea as well as on the mainland around Zadar. My photo ‘Knot in Passage’ was actually taken in 2015. The photo shows the entrance to the Art Gallery in Zadar. In the courtyard of the entrance was a modern metal sculpture. I put the sculpture in the foreground. The entrance is wide open and a passerby can be seen on the street. The sculpture seems to be inviting people to enter the gallery.
Ivan Nemet ‘Field Geometry’
Croatian artistic photography by Ivan Nemet
My name is Ivan Nemet. I was born in Kloštar Podravski. I am retired and I spent my entire working life working on oil wells all over the world. Photography has been a hobby since my early days. I love all kinds of photos, but my favourite is landscape photography. Over the last few years, I’ve quite often been taking photos with a drone. Photographs from a bird’s eye view are often interesting because they reveal compositions that cannot be seen from the ground. I’ve participated in various international photography exhibitions, one of them being this year’s 29th Biennale in France. The Croatian jury selected two of my photos. They were both taken using a drone. The name of the first photo is ‘Reed car’. It was made in the winter on the mountain Bilogora. The name of the other photo is ‘Field Geometry’. The emphasis is on the lines created by the action. Both were made not far from where I live, in the continental part of Croatia, between the river Drava and the small mountain Bilogora. The name of this part of Croatia is Podravina.
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