Today we’d like to introduce you to Bára Prášilová.
Bára, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
When I was 13, I had to decide what my profession would be for the rest of my life (like every child in the Czech Republic at that time). It was just a short time after I had stopped playing with dolls, so my parents had to decide for me. I wanted to be a fashion designer. They wanted me to be a secretary and paid a lot of money for my education at a private high school. At 18, I became a secretary for 14 days and quickly decided that I wanted to be an artist instead. Because my parents told me that I couldn’t draw from an early age (and remembering and still believing that curse), I never thought I would be able to be an artist. Regardless, I grabbed my dad’s old camera, and at first, I just wore that thing on my shoulder. After wearing it on my arm like a handbag for a while, I finally put film into the camera and started taking some pictures. 2 or 3 years later, I started studying photography at university, but I was kicked out very quickly. Despite being forced to leave my photography studies and being told that I can’t draw, I’m still thriving as a photographer and more – my illustration that I did for an international dance festival called Tanec Praha became an integral part of this big campaign as well.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I expanded my focus as a photographer naturally. My process requires sketching and designing props, which later led me to create illustrations and films in addition to my photography. Now, making videos, illustrations, and building props has become an important part of my visual “empire.” I’m an obsessive perfectionist, and creating my images is just a result of my passion for creating new realities. I think that I’m subconsciously and sometimes very forcibly proving to others that every idea that comes out of my mind is possible. My work is definitely a mixture of beauty and weirdness, and I especially enjoy seeing how people perceive it. Some people could see my photographs as more beautiful, and some as weirder, and I like this game because the way you decide to see them says a little something about you.
What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
I can’t speak for all artists, but the biggest challenge I face is that some clients hire me for my signature style, and then try to force me to fit into their brand identity. In my experience, when I resist this, both the clients and I are much happier with the results. I believe that every artist has something unique and that should be celebrated instead of suppressed.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
My work can be seen in one of the biggest galleries in the world – in all Ikea stores worldwide – thanks to my photo “Windsock,” which is a part of my Evolve series, and was created for a book called Hasselblad Masters Book. This picture became a part of a limited collection called Norrhassel, which is a joint project between Hasselblad and Ikea, with the aim being to bring art to the wider public. What is really exciting about this project is the fact that I had the object in this photo (a windsock in the shape of a striped human sock) custom-made by a company producing meteorological windsocks. These art objects were also installed in a few places around the world, and they really show the wind direction. I also have six pieces of my work in an exhibition “I Am a Woman,” which is currently moving from St. Petersburg to Moscow. You can also see all of my work on my website, and I offer prints for sale.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.baraprasilova.com
- Email: info@baraprasilova.com
- Instagram: bara_prasilova
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BaraPrasilovaPhotography/?ref=settings
Image Credit:
Bára Prášilová
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