Frank Horvat A Trip Through A Mind

The Galerie Hiltawsky presents the work of Frank Horvat at its Berlin location, following two previous shows in Hamburg. In addition to the beautiful selection of photographs taken from twelve different series spanning Horvat’s career, visitors will discover the first version of Horvatland, an iPad application released by the photographer in 2011. “I have probably taken more than a million shots, and among these there are about 2000 with which I am pleased enough to say: this is my photo.” Two thousand images covering 65 years of photography—from 1945 to today—are brought together in this application, which Horvat deems, “an entire life.” Indeed, users navigate through a veritable life in images, running the gamut from his most well known series to more intimate works. With the iPad’s intuitive and tactile functionalities, the user easily explores the diverse paths the application offers. Without the risk of being overwhelmed by images, users can plunge in the heart of a story while simultaneously making their own story. More than ten hours of interviews and several texts (400,000 words) accompany the Horvatland photographs. Eighteens months of work were necessary to assemble the materials and conceive the connections among them. On every page of an image or chapter, links are indexed under terms like: biography, timetable, keywords, bridges, comments, guided tours. This organization allows users to browse the images by starting with factual data (a date, the title of a series) or by more subjective data chosen by the photographer, like the terms “white” and “springtime” and other references to his personal life. Frank Horvat, 83, created the application with the developer Serge Montaigu, the translator Adrian Gillot, and his assistant Viviana Rossi. Horvatland: an isolated land where one can lose oneself in its immensity without growing weary. On the contrary, the user has complete control of his or her voyages, slowing down, stopping to look around or jumping ahead. Unlike other exhibitions, books and slideshows, which are all limited by a certain linearity, Horvatland represents a new language of sharing and communication. It opens a door onto a rich historical heritage while pointing towards the future, one where applications like it will serve as a new form of catalogue raisonné. Only their smooth and luminous surfaces won’t gather dust. A video presentation of the application is available on Frank Horvat’s website: www.horvatland.com/pages/news/index_fr.htm Eva Gravayat Frank Horvat A Trip Through A Mind (The iPad Exhibition) Through April 29, 2012 Wednesday – Saturday, 14h to 18h. Galerie Hiltawsky Tucholskystraße 41 10117 Berlin