Retrospective photo exhibition of Goran Antlej "Inkognito"
Avgust Černigoj, his companions and students
Biedermeier Living Room of the Coronini Counts
In Villa Bartolomei are exhibited photographs from domestic and foreign concerts, which Goran Antlej, a music enthusiast and photographer from Gorenja Trebuša, has been visiting for decades, not as a passive listener, but as someone who wants to be actively connected to the music scene.
Walking on the edge, being close to the edge is a phrase that perhaps best explains and presents the work of music enthusiast and photographer Goran Antlej. Firstly, because it is the title of the fifth studio album from 1972 by his favorited English progressive rock band Yes. Secondly, because he often photographed concerts close the edge of what was allowed. And thirdly, because the best and most unique photographs are always taken from the photo pit, the special area in front of the stage that separates the audience from the artist on-stage. With this in mind, the title of the exhibition and exhibition catalogue, “Inkognito”, mirror the works of the photographer.
His first concert photograph was taken at a Yes concert in Munich in 1977. Since he did not have accreditation, the security guards didn't let him near the stage, so his first photograph was taken secretly, from a distance, from the stands and without a lens. He first heard the band Yes in 1976 when he was in a work brigade in Trebuša. His enthusiasm for the music landscape led him through various genres, from punk and reggae to electronic and metal.
When he did not have accreditation, he would photograph using cheaper slide films that had to be sent to the Netherlands, and then wait two weeks for the developed photographs. Slide film meant less sharpness, but the photos were in colour, unlike the sharper black and white photos made on negatives. That's why he is one of the few photographers who boasts colour photographs of the Slovenian punk scene.
Goran Antlej took a lot of photos for himself. He photographed music groups that were to his liking. He was attracted to charismatic musicians who were able to convey something more with their image, lyrics, and performance, and who managed to create a magical moment between the audience and the performers. He wanted to capture them in key moments when the essence and the essence of the event came to light. That's why his photos are almost always close-ups, intimate moments of musicians. The uniqueness of his photographs is also that they were taken at a time when accredited photographers were no longer allowed to take pictures, when they could only listen to the concert in peace or leave the hall. Such photos require preparation and patience. It is necessary to know and anticipate the dynamics of the musicians' movements on the stage and find the most suitable place in the hall.
However, because concert organisers have their security guards who inspect at the entrances to the concert hall, and music group managers have security guards who monitor during the concert, it is even more important for a photographer trying to take pictures secretly to be prepared for this. The most interesting and unique photos, however, are taken from below the stage, most often in the middle of the concert or at the end, from unusual angles, incognito.
To capture a good photograph often means to miss out on the concert itself, the essence of the event, because you are constantly focused on the composition while also keeping an eye on the security guards and the movements of the crowd in front of you. The essence or soul of the concert can thus only be captured by a photographer who the musicians are not prepared for and who does not pose for – a photographer who is always close to the edge.This page is available only in Slovenian.
Photo: Katarina Brešan
Location: Vila Bartolomei
From:
18 May 2024
Till:
18 May 2025
Curator:
Rok Bavčar
Design:
Bojan Bitežnik