Fetish: Gallery Two

Photographs by Jorge Alberto Cadi, Le Fétichiste, and Miroslav Tichý In partnership with christian berst art brut

This exhibition showcases three bodies of work exploring the connections between vernacular photography, voyeurism, appropriation, and the metamorphosis of desire into image-making. Miroslav Tichý (1926 - 2011) was known for his unique approach to photography, characterized by clandestine images of women and girls in his hometown of Kyjov, Czech Republic. Following a tumultuous period that included military service and a potential breakdown, Tichý withdrew from society, becoming a recluse. In the 1950s, he turned to photography as a form of non-political expression in response to the communist regime's social constraints. His handmade cameras, constructed from rudimentary materials like cardboard, enabled him to capture candid moments swiftly and discreetly, imbuing his images with an unposed, rebellious aura. In the bustling streets of Havana, Jorge Alberto Cadi (b. 1963) is affectionately known as "El Buzo" ("The Diver"). Cadi, who grapples with schizophrenia, is on a relentless quest for artistic inspiration amidst the city's discarded relics—transforming found black and white photographs into otherworldly works. Faces are altered with eerie features, distorted and even erased—only to resurface hauntingly elsewhere in the composition. For the artist, these anonymous photographs from bygone eras are poignant reminders of emigration, departures, farewells, and the myriad separations that have left an indelible mark on his homeland. Created between 1996 and 2006, the collection of amateur prints by an unknown photographer (who we refer to as Le Fétichiste) captures images of legs clad in stockings— snapped on the streets or gleaned from a television screen. In its essence, the creator’s pursuit echoes that of Tichý, with a notable distinction: here, the photographer occasionally steps into the frame as a subject. Both instances—typical of art brut—invite us to question how our perceptions are shaped and the ways in which individual mythologies infuse the collective imagination.

Click here to visit the online viewing room for this show and learn more about the works exhibited.