Tony Dočekal (Amsterdam, 1992) graduated from ArtEZ Enschede in 2015 and won the Olympus Young Talent Award in 2018. In her work, Tony Dočekal captures social situations in a way that invites further interpretation. Her work refers to the larger social issues of our time. Since 2019, after an artist residency at KALA Art Institute 2019 in Berkeley (CA), she has worked as a photographer and storyteller at Sheltersuit Foundation. Dočekal has made both journalistic and autonomous work, constantly exploring the boundary between journalistic observation and autonomous photography.
Longer ways to go
‘Longer ways to go’ is a personal coming of age story. Visualizing the internal world through a poetic narrative, the images fluctuate between quiet and intimate and confronting and anxious.
Shot around the US in the months after Election Day 2020 – as a woman traveling alone in the new territory during uncertain times – the work explores the idea of solitude, identity, and confrontation with society. Emphasizing internal monologue over action, feelings of wonder, longing, fear, form a journey of breaking boundaries and personal growth.
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Recurring themes in Dočekals work are human strength, vulnerability, and loneliness. Even in images without people, the human presence lingers. Timeless landscapes alternating with anonymous travelers evoke an ominous feeling of a character fleeing something invisible. With framing and sequencing, she creates a mysterious narrative to drift off in, but which also reflects a critical eye.
To view more of Tony Docekal’s work please visit their website.