Beautiful people by Šymon Kliman (August 26, 2009) 
(3 votes, average: 2.33 out of 5)
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Categories / Documentary Portraiture / / Click here to open comments section, click again when done to close / 1 Comment
Curator Statement - Roman Babjak on Šymon Kliman
The topic of gypsies has a long tradition in Eastern European photography. In Czechoslovakia, for example, in the works of Jozef Koudelka and Marketa Luskacova. Their message is usually the same. It shows low social status and the hard life gypsies are living. What I like about Šymon’s work is that he took a different approach, not being ‘outsider’, but making photos, which even the gypsies themselves might like. Why should we regard them from a pedestal of superiority? They have their own idea of beauty and enjoy life as much as possible, just like we do. Roman Babjak is the curator and editor of photo.sittcom.sk, a web based project aimed at discovering and presenting young artists from Central and Eastern Europe working with video & photography.
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Our poll "A photo essay always needs a great written story" closed. 267 people voted, 28% agrees, 72% disagrees. 233 people answered our follow-up question "Are you a photographer?" 82% indicated they are, 18% said no. Initially, negative answers to question #1 were almost 100% as was the pecentage of photographers among respondants. Then, when the level of non-photographers started to rise, the percentage of people indicating good text is always essential started to rise too. This seems to indicate that non-photographers think that adding good text to your photo essays is essential. In my opinion: if you want non-photographers to dig your work, you know what to do...
I started to photograph gypsies because it bothers me that the imagery of gypsies in our society is based on a set of cliches. Typically, the gypsie way of life is shown as something exotic. This appears to be the only thing valued about them.
I have tried to look beyond this one-dimensional view. I wanted to enable a larger audience to identify with these people.
To me, gypsies are a beautiful and proud people, whose cultural identity has almost been destroyed by the communist regime. They lost a big part of their identity, language, independance and cultural background. In the fifties the Slovak goverment killed their horses, forbade them to travel and study and forced them to stop their crafts.
The gypsies in my photographs live in the worst possible conditions around the town of Kezmarok in the Tatra region. In the village of Velká Lomnica, two thousands people live without running water and sewerage.
Despite of these slum-like living conditions, their homes are always tidy and clean. And everybody has at least one set of beautiful clothes for special occasions. I asked people to wear these when I photographed their portraits. I wanted to make them beautiful.
My portraits show men and women who work and try to uplift themselves. Men and women who show us that change is possible.
Artist statement Photography is the way in which I can express my ideas. With any project, the idea is more important than the chosen form. I do not stick to a specific photographic style, all my projects look different. I always try to learn more, new techniques. But sometimes, like with the gypsies, I am convinced it is useless to try something new photographically. This is why I decided to make classical portraits. I believe it is the best way to honour the people I was photographing.Šymon Kliman (1980) lives and works in Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
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