Fotograf #39

The ongoing pandemic has provided a framework for the development of broad societal debate on the necessity of mutual closeness in distance, solidarity and new systems of organisation. A crucial role is played by the decision to depart from the mono-thematic focus of the individual editions of the magazine, replacing it with a rhizomatic structure of a processual mental map circling the terms chaos & jouissance under the title: „Delight, pain.“ The Issue focuses on themes of mental health, identity politics, queerness, gaming, solidarity and the imaginary reconstruction and renewal of grand narratives. All the themes are interconnected by the globally experienced pandemic situation. This, however, is not a thematic framework but merely an inseparable condition of any activity currently taking place.

Fotograf is comprehensive periodical that has been published in both Czech and English versions since 2002. At the global level, it is one of the most important magazines focusing on current photographic art. The mission and objective of Fotograf Magazine is to inform the Czech professional public as well as the broader cultural public about what is happening in the field of photographic art at home and abroad, and, even more importantly, to increase awareness about Czech photography and contemporary visual culture in the Czech Republic and elsewhere