The photographic series Rise and Fall portrays the acting ensemble of the famous Svanda Theater in Prague and at the same time recounts the rise and fall of a fictitious totalitarian regime. The work is inspired by George Orwell's “1984” and using the symbol of an eye, an emblem of the regime, reminds us that we are closely monitored at every step and our actions are recorded and evaluated. The paradox is that we provide information about ourselves to the Big Brother voluntarily, by using smartphones, cashless payments or through presence and behavior on the Internet and social media.
Tomas Vrana is an internationally awarded photographer from Prague. Vrana studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague and his work can be found in the collections of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague in addition to private collections. His work has been exhibited internationally both at group shows and solo exhibitions. Tomas Vrana’s photography always reflects a contradiction between order and disorder both in the physical world and a state of mind.
