Yaro Kupčo’s exhibition prompts a reflection on honest, hard work

Brussels (13 July) - Permanent Representative of the Slovak Republic to the EU i Peter Javorčík opened a photography exhibition called ‘Reflections from Slovakia’ at the Economic and Social Committee on Wednesday.

“Amidst our busy schedules and hard work every day, the photographs by Yaro M. Kupčo prompt us to stop and reflect. They are also a mighty reminder of the fact that, in addition to human relationships, the country of our childhood and growing-up shaped and influenced us, too,” Mr Javorčík said in his opening address.

The exhibition is an expression of the author’s memories of his childhood. He also pays homage to farmers, who held the soil in high regard, rather than treating it as a ‘factory’ for food production. In his childhood, the artist used to spend his leisure time on meadows below the High Tatras, where he would help his father in flipping hay over and making haystacks. Then one day, everything changed - haybarns were knocked down, strips of land between fields were ploughed up, and the trees that had towered head and shoulders above the landscape were felled. Thereupon, the artist set about searching for and keeping a record of the last remaining fields and meadows that had been preserved the way he had remembered them from his childhood.

“I’m not really sure if I should be jealous of today’s children having their hands full with mobile phones. Whenever I recall the pristine beauty I experienced when I was 8 or 10 years old, there’s hardly any comparison. I think it was unique,” said Yaro Kupčo, who has been wheelchair-bound since he was 18. And yet, he has his eyes set on his goal, he doesn’t make things easier for himself and he doesn’t complain. Most importantly, he never gives up.

Yaro Kupčo is an unusual type of photographer. He doesn’t use a digital camera, and applies the sepia effect and 24-carat gold - a technology that is close to 200 years old.

The exhibition of 40 pictures, which capture panoramic views of the Orava and Spiš regions, is running at the ESC until 16 September 2016.