Listening to jazz and enjoying it, I got a wish to record and commit to memory all these sounds, emotions and atmosphere. In a way, to take them home, to have them last longer than that moment when I experienced them. These moments of ecstasy and pleasure of the musicians who, playing on their instruments, transfer their pleasure onto us. This inspired me to take photos of the musicians and capture the atmosphere of the concerts on them. When I look at the photographs later, I can remember the sounds, music, conversations and all the events associated with the moment when the photograph was taken. Then, in my mind’s eye, the colours, sounds and fragrances of the Novi Jazz Festival revive.
Aleksandar Plačkov
Aleksandar Plačkov
Born in Novi Sad, Aleksandar Plačkov grew up in Tel Aviv. He has worked as a press photographer for a daily newspaper, cooperated with many magazines, and was the chief editor of photography in the magazine ‘Oldtajmer’. He has worked as an official photographer of the company ‘Cineoptik’ and The Novi Sad City Museum. For many years he has photographed for the Cultural Center of Novi Sad and and the Nishville Jazz Festival in Niš. He has been the Novi Sad Jazz Festival and the Subotica ‘Jazzik’ Festival official photographer for many years. He has collaborated on the realization of a book about Novi Sad architectural treasures with the Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments of Novi Sad. His dedication to ecology, healthy life and Novi Sad hometown caused many of his work to be inspired by it. Jazz and photography are important parts of his life.
Solo exhibitions (selection):
1987 Sav Taj Jazz, Belgrade, Sava Centar; 1999 Svetski jazz velikani: Dokumenti, Novi Sad, The Gallery of the Cultural Centre of Novi Sad; 2002 Ajnfort Kapije Novog Sada i Petrovaradina, Novi Sad, Gallery SPC NS; 2004 Jazz Portreti, Novi Sad, Serbian National Theatre; 2008 Novi Sad, moj rodni grad, Novi Sad, Gallery Prometej; 2010 Novi Sad, grad kakvog više nema, Novi Sad, City Museum of Novi Sad; 2011 More Than Classic – Više od klasičnog, Novi Sad, American Corner; 2012 Beogradski jazz festival, nekad i sad, Beograd, Dom omladine; 2012 All That Jazz, Niš, Gallery Art 55.
Tel.: +381 60 1351998; Atelje 3, Petrovaradinska tvrđava, Novi Sad (www.alexplackov.com)
All photos are made by NIKON films and electro/digital cameras with NIKKOR lenses.