Following the communist takeover Tichý spent some eight years in prison camps and jails for no particular reason other than he was ‘different’ and was considered subversive. Upon his release in the early 70’s, Tichý wandered his small town in rags, pursuing his obsession as an artist with the female form by photographing in the streets, shops and parks with cameras he made from tin cans, childrens spectacle lenses and other junk he found on the street. He would return home each day to make prints on equally primitive equipment, making only one print from the negatives he selected.
(His photographs make me think he was a perv... But that camera he made from tin cans and spectacles is amazing) via Boing Boing
Unfortunately a lot of nonsense has been written about Tichy and the more bizarre aspects of his life have been exagerrated to make his art more appealing to the art world and collectors. While it's true that Tichy spent time in mental hospitals and prisons, 8 years is an exaggeration. It's also more useful to interpret him along the lines of an artist than as a voyeur...
I have known Tichy for 16 years and I consider myself to be his apprentice. We are both mystics and art alchemists. For more information please check out my website at;
www.cirkusworld.com
I agree that his cameras are amazing and fit in very nicely with his work as a performance artist...
Posted by: brian tjepkema | June 26, 2006 at 10:26 AM