As both a documentary and theatre photographer, Robert Tappert has found a way to combine these two disciplines in his long-term project of mapping theatre. The creation of these photographs relates to specific theatre productions, but their setting is not the stage; rather, it is the backstage area, technical facilities, or exterior. Tappert is exploring a new form for his artistic documentary portraits. These are not romanticised shots from behind the curtain, nor do they capture the thrill of an actor just before stepping onto the stage. The objects in the photographs exist independently of the theatre performance, yet they are deeply connected to it. Tappert captures actors and actresses in a fragile moment between themselves and their characters, in an ambiguously defined moment. He is interested in the transformation of a character into an actor and vice versa, with costumes playing a crucial role in the composition. The photographs are characterised by visual Dadaism, the devotion and vulnerability of the photographed objects, as well as straightforward emotion, whose layers are revealed by each visitor to the exhibition according to their own interpretation.

 

Robert Tappert (1983) studied theatre directing at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava and at DAMU in Prague. He specialises in documentary and portrait photography with a conceptual touch. He has received several prestigious awards (PX3 Paris Photo Prize, The Andrei Stenin International Photo Contest, Slovak Press Photo, Czech Press Photo). He has won the Biennial of Theatre Photography, organised by the Theatre Institute, three times. As a theatre photographer, he collaborates with theatres in Slovakia and internationally.