A cross-section of the diverse body of work by Adam Holý, an acclaimed figure in the club scene, glamour, fashion, and landscape photography, and winner of the Czech Grand Design Award for Best Photography Publication, who died suddenly ten years ago at the age of 42.

Adam’s strength lies in the disarming duality of intimate sensuality and expressive power. Whether they are studio photographs or snapshots taken on the fly from a moving car, he always chooses an image that provokes or shocks with its rawness, while at the same time soothing the viewer with an intimately pleasant sense of déjà vu.

The exhibition is titled Afterglow. The title follows the tradition of Adam’s previous project titles, which referred to physical, meteorological, and cosmic phenomena—such as the publication The Overview Effect (2014) or, for example, the exhibitions Outer Core (2013) and String Theory(2009). We also chose the title Afterglow because of the latest chapter in Adam’s work: specifically, landscapes bathed in light. These are presented in the basement of the gallery in the form of a short movie created for this exhibition by artist Roman Štětina.

The selection of works is compiled from existing vintage prints from the archive of Adam’s brother, David Holý. The photographs are installed into geometric compositions in which the diagonal plays a key role—a motif that evokes movement, internal dynamics, and perspective. From the surface of what is seen, the viewer’s attention is drawn to the delicate layers of intimacy and passion with which Adam Holý worked.

Curator: David Korecký

Afterglow is organized by Polansky Gallery in collaboration with Fotograf Contemporary.