Fotogalerie Milan Pelikan Photogallery

BIOGRAPHY

Milan Pelikan – the photographer and artist from Highlands

I was born in 1973 in Trebic, Czech Republic. I grew up in town called Zeletava. Since my childhood I found interest in photography. My first pictures come from the time I was twelve. They were black and white shots of landscape, animals, castles and figures. A breakthrough came later in 1998 and was paved by my painting attempts. Thanks to this I found a way to new horizons.

An important part of my photographic experiences was my stay in the USA (1998-1999) and as well studies in the photographic school in Prague. Even so I consider myself self-taught. With no academic education. Nowadays I live and create in Jihlava, CZ. Apart from photography I’m painting as well.

When working, I relay on feeling and instincts, which can’t be replaced in art. The whole idea is to set the scene for photos. To me photography is a medium, it helps me to reach the artistic aim. Recently I find the most of my themes in the nature. I’m fascinated not only with its beauty but also the possibility of an unlimited spiritual experience. For a few years I’ve been feeling the urge to unveil the mysteries, which hide so much beauty. I’m letting myself go with the colours and variety of the nature. I try to experiment too. Reach behind the borders and break into complete unknown. This I achieve by the double take technique. I’m trying to imagine more dimensions of nature and then I combine the second take with the first one.

When looking closer, you get to see a broad variety of themes of my art. In some you can see similarity, like the purpose of existence, archetypical tendencies. In the final picture both figurative and abstract forms can be found. Technique involves colour and black and white photo put together in double take for instance. Cloning of the picture, glass painting combined with photo shots, damaging the negative with acid and many other techniques are used.