Evžen Sobek : Life in blue

Since 2007 photographer Evžen Sobek has been documenting life on the banks of a reservoir in the southern Czech Republic in his series “Life in Blue”. In this manmade recreation area, an unusual community of campers and tents has grown up that for many residents has become a second home, a place where they have spent their vacations for decades. What prompts the members of this community to voluntarily spend a weekend or even a year in this strangely empty landscape? Is it the need for some unconstrained time in a romantic setting? Or perhaps people are able here to quench their desire for a life in the society of others that the city can no longer offer. The series tells of their everyday leisure activities, the small stories written by life that sometimes seem to have a deeper meaning, enigmatic or even bizarre. Sobek always maintains his stance as neutral a observer who portrays the lakeside community with respect and a great deal of empathy. Evžen Sobek (*1967) works as a freelance photographer and teaches photog- raphy at various universities. His works are represented in numerous public and private collections, among them the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Museum for Romany Culture, Brno. The series “Life in Blue” was awarded an Honorable Mention at the 2010 Lens Culture International Exposure Awards.