I am not certain whether we can fully trust a photograph as an authentic representation of a person or an event, as everything depends on the author’s perspective and the context in which the photo was taken. Every photograph can be manipulated in some way; it can direct the way we perceive it. Is even the choice of subject an intervention? Generally, cinema seeks plausible human experiences or certain truths within the parameters of a story. The same occurs in photography. And yet, cinema or photography can deeply move us beyond scientific explanations. It is interesting to explore what the real truth is behind a portrait, behind a face, behind a moment in space and time… Something that “rings true” to the viewer. Perhaps this is the power of photography or the visual arts—the unsaid—to be left to the viewer’s imagination to fill the gaps, the dialogue—between different moments in time.
Most of the photographs were captured during the making of “18% Grey,” a film about a Bulgarian photographer who, after losing his love, embarks on a journey from Great Britain through Europe to his homeland to rediscover himself and his art.
Viktor Chuchkov
Against the backdrop of post-Brexit Europe, somber landscapes, and alienated individuals, director and photographer Viktor Chuchkov draws from his own photographs to explore the unique possibilities of the photographic medium, examining the act of creating, viewing, and capturing. How does one wish to be perceived? Self-presented? How can one be authentic? Can photography help heal wounds? Can we harmonize the world around us? What is authentic or truly true?
In the photographs – Rushen Vidinliev, Dolya Gavanski, Susanne Wuest, Norman Bowman, Joke Emmers, Boris Van Severen, Zachary Baharov
