Kamil Varga’s photography is imbued with a mysterious magic—a specific perception of the world as an entire universe in which the energy of one’s own subconscious, mysticism, and Eastern philosophies play a central role. They form the artist’s “private universe,” in which he formulates theories about doubt, searches for answers, perhaps truths about himself. He engages in philosophical reflections, searching for himself within his own inner self and his own body:
“I regard the spirit of the universe as the alpha and omega of life. The human body is a kind of cosmic ship, its mutability a symbol of constant movement and change, of diversity and richness of form. My personal presence in the image is meaningful—not because my own inner self is most accessible to me, but because the transformation into an image requires complete concentration. I immediately capture images that arise in my subconscious on negative material. It is a reflection of the great cosmic game.”
In Vargas’ creative process, immaterial ideas and visions are transformed into real physical self-visualizations in photography. He describes his work as “spiritual expressionism,” whereby “the contrast between these two words contains a tension that is a prerequisite for any creative work.” To realize this intention most intensely, he uses the technique of luminography (drawing with light), which best captures the tension of flowing physical and spiritual energy, concentrated in dynamic, rhythmic, almost ritualistic transformations. In this way, he creates his own completely unique world of mysticism, mysterious patterns, and symbols, concentrated in a liberating rhythm of constantly new photographic variations on fantasy.
Like his artistic and generational companions (Rudo Prekop, Vasil Stanko, Tono Stano, Miro Švolík, Peter Župník, Jano Pavlík [†1988], Martin Štrba – all born around 1960), Kamil Varga belongs to the important Slovak “New Wave” of photography.
About the artist:
Kamil Varga (*1957) studied photography at FAMU in Prague and has been active as an international photo artist since the 1980s. He has presented 44 solo exhibitions and participated in around 300 group shows worldwide. His works are included in major museum collections, such as the Musée de l’Elysée (Lausanne), the Musée de la Photographie (Arles), and the Staatliche Galerie Moritzburg (Halle). For more than three decades, he has also taught photography, leading numerous work shops with a focus on studio photography and luminography. In addition to a monograph (1998), several catalogues have been published, and five documentary films have been made about him. Varga lives and works in Prague.