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Where is Antonello?
Perhaps the most frequent question, which was asked during the jury work of Czech Press Photo, was: “Where is Antonello?” He was easily the most overworked member of the international jury. The media showed unprecedented interest in Antonello in connection with his exhibition here and he spent his free moments giving interviews and do media chats. So during the work of the jury, MFDnes, Pravo, Denik, Blesk and many other media released information about this Italian photographer who lives in Colombia. Even after the work of the jury ended, we could hear him on Radiozurnal or Prima TV. For a brief period, Antonello became a celebrity, a person he himself likes to photograph. Just a reminder – here he became known for his pictures of the naked former Prime Minister, Mirek Topolanek, in Berlusconi’s Villa Certosa in Sardinia. I said to myself that for a change I would become paparazzi... sorry, I wanted to say ‘investigative reporter’. I focused precisely on Antonello.
During the CPP jury discussions, it was typical for Antonello to hold a piece of paper with his notes to fence and exhibit his true Italian temperament.
He was carrying his laptop with him all the time and had direct video conversations with his wife. What you see in the photograph is Antonello with his Mac serving as a video camera showing her what he is doing. It sends a simple message that he is not chasing women but is working at CPP jury. You can be trustful but you must always crosscheck.
Antonello is voting for the Photograph of the Year by Martin Bandzak.
A press conference on the 11th October 2010 at the Prague Magistrate – from the left: the interpreter, Antonello and Daniela Mrazkova. Journalists weren’t interested only in CPP, but were also asking about Antonello’s exhibition (precisely Magdalena Cechlovska from Hospodarske noviny).
After the press conference, we went around the corner to U Pivrnce to have lunch and drink beer... and Antonello ordered a bottle of Czech champagne. Grazia!
The story of the group portrait of the CPP 2010 jury.
I am now going to get personal. If I am afraid of anything when I take pictures of the CCP jury, it is the group portrait. I have been taking it since 1996 and it could be said that I am the biggest Czech specialist in taking pictures of photographic juries. Taking photographs of photographic juries comes in two phases. In the first I work out where to take the picture. That means deciding on a room in the building where the judging takes place. And where there is good light, background and all the other important photographic prerequisites. In the second phase I go looking for the jury to bring to my chosen place. It is a crazy affair because “right now they don’t have time and will have it later”. This craziness sometimes goes on for two days and the “later” is never to be seen. I go mad and swear that I shall never again photograph group portraits because instead I could get on my bike, ride through beautiful autumnal countryside and then have a beer in some country pub. The group portrait of CPP 2010 had three phases and the key role was played by - who else - but Antonello. I planned the photograph for Friday, the 8th October during the afternoon break when the light coming in through the windows would be beautiful. At exactly the moment when the afternoon break started and the light from the windows was beautiful, Antonello vanished to have a ‘chat’ at Blesk, I believe. And so the jurors planned the photo for me for the following morning. Otherwise there would be no other time to do it. I was nervous that I would have direct light coming in and I would have problems with the rays of light streaming in; in other words the photograph would be burned out. And that’s exactly what happened. However, on the morning of the 9th October, I placed the jurors so the sun rays would be attacking them minimally. I clicked and clicked and clicked and then breathed out. Hurray, it’s done! All the others were relieved that the photograph didn’t hurt. Euphoric, I went to have a coffee. But then, from somewhere, a nasty sentence was heard: ”Antonello wasn’t in the photograph!” What? I quickly looked at the display and sure enough, it was true. Antonello wasn’t among the group. I was mortified.... So we started looking for him. “Where is Antonello? We shouted and looked for him in the vast space of the Mayor’s residence. Eventually, we found him in a distant room where he was intensely looking at a series of competition photographs and was taking notes... When I gathered the group for the portrait again, the sun was shining straight at them, or more precisely at Cvetan Tomcev. But there was nothing I could do about it. I had to fight the sun in the computer...
First attempt at portrait of the jurors... but nobody noticed that Antonello wasn’t there....
And here they all are...Antonello (third from the left, standing), and the ray of light over Cvetan (sitting first left)
The exhibition “Prime Minister’s Photographer” at the Old Town Hall is opened daily from 10am to 6pm until the 10th November 2010 (more about author and exhibition). The exhibition and Czech Press Photo competition organiser, Daniela Mrazkova: “Antonello’s Prague exhibition and the press publicity spoke of the freedom of the press and the fact that people in public life, especially politicians, cannot be surprised when the media are interested in their private lives. That aroused a renewed interest in pursuing Antonello by the Italian media and the courts, controlled by Berlusconi (who is to a certain extent their owner and shareholder), and even interest from the European Parliament in Brussels. And so the Prague exhibition will probably travel to Brussels in November.”
Antonello is working on a book about cocaine; it’s production and the black market in Colombia. Pictures from the publication-in- progress can be seen at the Prague exhibition in the section Report from Colombia.
Text and photo Oleg Homola.
