The series of photographs “Scenography of Decision” is a multi-layered experiment in observing one’s own existence and the medium that conveys it – photography. Symbolic, seemingly with a certain degree of inaccessibility toward the observer, the photographs are an internalized process of self-reflection and confrontation, brought to the ultimate limits of exposure.
The particular confrontations that take place in the photographs are visually clarified in a double state, which perhaps best explains the internal battle over one’s own perception.
On one side, there is the element of the scene with the exposed body and spirit as a sort of last state of honesty with oneself – bringing it to the final boundary where nothing exists except for one’s own body. On the other hand, there is the visible side that symbolizes uncertainty, vulnerability, and the search for oneself. Distortions, the use of scenography in the space where the author faces themselves, and the disappearance behind objects and in the corners of rooms are a reflection of escape, as well as an unclear image of oneself.
The spaces where the works take place, although more like stage sets, also carry symbolic messages – the process of liberation gradually unfolds, without a clear final message. Some spaces are mere hints, while others clearly show the exposed states of the spirit, placed in comparison to external life.
The series was created during the author’s one-year stay in a rented apartment in downtown Zagreb, which had not changed much since it was built in the late 1960s. This scenery of imprisoned time became a place for personal reflection, decisions, and conversations with oneself. The series is the result of this process and also the first time the author turns the camera on themselves.
The works bring honesty in depicting one’s own turmoil – there are no extremes in emotional states, but lost lines are shown that indicate the complexity of the human spirit and the often uncertain path toward clarification.
After the premiere exhibition in Croatia in 2018, the author’s first presentation to the domestic audience will be at KC Lab, where its modernist aesthetic of residential space beautifully complements the motifs of the photographs.
Ivica Ivčević was born in Zadar in 1980. He has been involved in photography for many years in fragmented time intervals, both amateur and professional. An author of several group and solo exhibitions, he lives and works in Zagreb.
Photographs by: Ivica Ivčević
Text by: Ana-Marija Petričević
The exhibition will be open from 5th to 17th April 2022.