Not currently on display at the V&A

The Unseen

Photograph
2015
Artist/Maker

Tereza Zelenkova is a Czech-born artist known for her imaginative exploration of mysticism. She is inspired by literature and philosophy, but also values intuition and coincidence as essential guides in her creative process. Zelenkova’s work peels back the layers of myth that build up over time, interrogating the historical past of places and people, probing at folklore and imparting a modern sense of Surrealism onto familiar things, such as the grave of Georges Bataille, the Moravian cave of Byci Skala, or a statue by Michelangelo in the V&A’s cast courts.

Zelenkova holds a BA in Photographic Arts from the University of Westminster and an MA in Photography from the Royal College of Art. She is the recipient of multiple awards, including the Jerwood Photoworks Award (2015), and was a finalist of the ING Unseen Talent Award (2016). Her work has been exhibited at numerous galleries and museums worldwide, including Whitechapel Gallery in London, Le Bal in Paris and Musée de l’Élysée in Lausanne. Zelenkova has published three monographs, in which images are accompanied by her own writings.

Delve deeper

Discover more about this object
read About the Known & Strange display A photograph has the power to transform the familiar into the unfamiliar,  and to make the ordinary extraordinary.  Since its invention, photography has changed the way we see the world by inviting us to interpret reality in our own way.  Its creative capacity to blur fact with fiction is ...

Object details

Category
Object type
TitleThe Unseen (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Gelatin Silver Print
Brief description
Photograph by Tereza Zelenkova, 'The Unseen', 2015. Gelatin Silver Print, 100 x 125cm, edition of 3.
Physical description
Black and white photograph depicting a table and four women with white scarves on their heads in the centre of the photograph. The table is covered by a white lace tablecoth, each female figure is wearing a blouse and pleated skirt, one is standing and three are seated. The background is black.
Dimensions
  • Height: 100cm
  • Width: 125cm
Gallery label
Known and Strange: Photographs from the Collection (2021-2022) Photography Centre, Gallery 101 Tereza Zelenková (born 1985) Giuliano de Medici by Michelangelo, V&A, London, 2013 Tripod, Meridian Hall, 2016 Byčí Skála Cave, 2011 in collaboration with Peter Watkins (born 1984) Georges Bataille’s Grave, Vèzelay, 2013 Stairs, Česky Ráj, 2015 The Unseen, 2015 Tereza Zelenková is known for her imaginative explorations of mysticism. She is inspired by literature and philosophy, but also values intuition and coincidence as essential guides in her creative process. Zelenková’s work peels back the layers of myth that build up over time. Her photographs demonstrate how she interrogates the past, probing at folklore and overlaying a modern sense of surrealism onto objects that are loaded with history. Gelatin silver prints Purchase funded by the Photographs Acquisition Group Museum nos. E.217-2018 to E.222-2018
Credit line
Purchase funded by the Photographs Acquisition Group
Summary
Tereza Zelenkova is a Czech-born artist known for her imaginative exploration of mysticism. She is inspired by literature and philosophy, but also values intuition and coincidence as essential guides in her creative process. Zelenkova’s work peels back the layers of myth that build up over time, interrogating the historical past of places and people, probing at folklore and imparting a modern sense of Surrealism onto familiar things, such as the grave of Georges Bataille, the Moravian cave of Byci Skala, or a statue by Michelangelo in the V&A’s cast courts.

Zelenkova holds a BA in Photographic Arts from the University of Westminster and an MA in Photography from the Royal College of Art. She is the recipient of multiple awards, including the Jerwood Photoworks Award (2015), and was a finalist of the ING Unseen Talent Award (2016). Her work has been exhibited at numerous galleries and museums worldwide, including Whitechapel Gallery in London, Le Bal in Paris and Musée de l’Élysée in Lausanne. Zelenkova has published three monographs, in which images are accompanied by her own writings.
Collection
Accession number
E.218-2018

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdMarch 13, 2018
Record URL
Download as: JSON