(Krešimir Oremović, exhibition catalogue text)

We can all easily agree that we live in a world of moving images. Their constant change is accelerating day by day, and the moment when we suddenly find ourselves faced with a single, isolated image – or just a few of them – can feel somewhat disorienting. Why?

The “frozen frame” of photography forces us to stop. In a way, it pulls us out of the stream of information which, precisely because of its acceleration, loses its own substance and becomes an unreadable, amorphous mass that undermines communication itself. In other words, the human, innate need to understand what is being observed, despite the abundance of visual stimuli, results only in a kind of haze in which natural forms can no longer be clearly distinguished. With that, we also lose our sensitivity for recognizing the aesthetic dimension of the environment as a magnetism that defines the bond between the individual and the nature that surrounds them.

The apparent stillness of the landscape and its gentle, organic micro-movements evoke times gone by – times in which we allowed ourselves to pause in front of a view worth looking at, to enjoy the sight of a leaf-covered canopy, a mountain ridge, or the foaming meeting of sea and wave.

Nature is endlessly selfless in offering us its anthology-worthy vistas. Yet, in order to truly enjoy the richness it gives us in its full measure, we need to “synchronize our clocks” once again.

The landscape photography of Janko Belaj teaches us precisely this already somewhat forgotten skill. It teaches us to take pleasure in the timeless, selfless beauty of the landscapes that surround us, and at the same time invites us to grow fond of what we come to know through observation – and thus to contribute ourselves to their protection, so that future generations may inherit them for their own enjoyment.

Selfless Landscapes