In the presence of the artist, the exhibition was opened by H.E. Martin Palous, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the United Nations:

“The time in which Antonín Kratochvíl has been living is my time too. As a teenager, he chose freedom and decided to leave our country stricken by the totalitarian plague. I stayed, trying to resist the incurable ills of our society in slightly different terms. Since then, he has lived a life without borders, an attentive observer and certainly one of the most talented contemporary Czech photographers, capturing the images of what he has seen unfold around him. His work, sometimes documenting what may appear to be simple absurdities of life, actually subtly comments on the part and parcel of human existence in today’s world, and most often, poignantly shares human sufferings. I met him for the first time in the early fall of 1988 at 2 a.m. in a small cottage in Bohemia, in the middle of nowhere, where he came to take pictures of my brother-in-law Milan Hlavsa, the leader of the Plastic People of the Universe, a rock band whose persecution by the Communist regime initiated the human rights movement of Charter 77. Till today, I do not know how he could have found us there. Now, we are meeting again in the premises of the United Nations. Times have changed between 1988 and 2009 and it is this change, still shaking up the world, that creates the essence of the time in which we both live.”

According to H.E. Kiyo Akasaka, UN Under-Secretary-General, who visited the opening together with other more than 200 representatives of UN member states and other distinguished guests, these pictures indeed show the time and world we live in and remind us that we must do more for those vulnerable people and children.”

The exhibition is organized by the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the United Nations in New York in cooperation with VII Photo Agency and sponsored by Pilsner Urquell, František Halama – Original Czech Art Glass, Stock – Plzeň Božkov, Mattoni, TORST.

^{Ambassador Palouš opening Antonín Kratochvíl's photo exhibit at the United Nations.}

^{Antonín Kratochvíl speaking at the opening of his exhibit "The Time in Which I Live"}

^{Amoung the guests was Ms. Zuzana Stivinova (pictured here in black), who will be performing on June 8th at the Bohemian National Hall (321 E. 73rd st) as part of the Days of the Czech European Union Presidency at the United Nations}

For an invitation please click HERE.

For a press release for the event click HERE.

To download Antonin Kratochvil's CV click HERE.

Antonín Kratochvíl

As photojournalists go, Antonin Kratochvil has sunk his teeth into his fair share of upheaval and human catastrophes whilst going about his documentation of the time in which he lives.

As people go, Kratochvil's own refugee life has been much in the way the same as what he has rendered on film. Kratochvil's unique style of photography is the product of personal experience, intimate conditioning and not privileged voyeurism.

Over the years his fluid and unconventional work has been sought by numerous publications stretching across widely differing interests. From shooting Mongolia's street children for the magazine published by the Museum of Natural History to a portrait session with David Bowie for Detour, from covering the war in Iraq for Fortune Magazine to shooting Deborah Harry for a national advertising campaign for the American Civil Liberties Union, Kratochvil's ability to see through and into his subjects and show immutable truth has made his pictures not facsimiles but uncensored visions.

And yet, what set his kind apart from the many is his consistency and struggle to carry on.

For Kratochvil this fact comes in the form of his numerous awards, grants and honorable mentions dating back to 1975. The latest of these are his two, first place prizes at the 2002 World Press Photo Awards in the categories of general news and nature and the environment.

The next is the 2004 grant from Aperture publishing for Kratochvil's study on the fractious relationship between American civil liberties and the newly formed Homeland Security since the World Trade Center bombings.

In addition, Kratochvil's fifth book Vanishing was presented in April 2005 and marks another significant milestone for the craft to which he belongs. Vanishing represents a collection of natural and human phenomena that on the verge of extinction. What makes this book so innovative is the twenty years it has taken to produce, making it not only historical from the onset, but a labor of love and a commitment to one man's conscience.

Antonin is one of the founders of the VII photo agency.

Awards:

§  1991 Infinity Award: Photojournalist of the Year, InternationalCenter of Photography, New York.

§  1994 Leica Medal of Excellence for outstanding achievement indocumentary photography.

§  1994 Dorothy Lange Prize, Duke University Center of documentary Studies.

§  1995 Ernst Haas Award, Maine Photographic workshops.

§  1997 Gold Medal for Photography from Society of Publishing Designers, New York.

§  1997 First Prize, World Press Photo Portrait Series, Amsterdam.

§  1997 (Eissie) Alfred Eisenstadt Award for 3Eyewitness Essay2 Life Magazine.

§  2000 Gold ARC Award for Best Annual Report, NGO Category, for Rockefeller Foundation 1999 Annual Report.

§  2003 First Prize World Press Photo Amsterdam (2 awards same year)

§  Medal from the City of Prague for Photography awarded by the Mayor of Prague

§  2005 Lucie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Photojournalism

§  2005 Golden Light Award for Best Documentary Book for the book Vanishing

Books:

§  Broken Dream: 20 Years of War in Eastern Europe, Monacelli Press, New York 1997.

§  Antonin Kratochvil, Torst 2003

§  Incognito, Arena Editions, USA 2001

§  Supravvivere, Motta Editore, Italy 2001

§  Vanishing, de.MO 2005

Grants:

§  Mother Jones International Fund for Photography, USA.

§  1994 Ernst Haas Working Grant USA.

§  1995 Hasselblad Foundation Grant for Photography / Sweden.