VLADIMIR LINDER'S

PHOTO EXHIBIT AT DETVA'S FOLKLORE FESTIVAL SUMMER 1999

DETVA'S SOUL SEARCHING
Slovak Heritage Live I

PART ONE

Was the title of my photo exhibit at 1999 Detva's Folk Festival where 147 color enlargements of my work at Detva's Festivals were on display. I have started my life's journey as 19 year old with leaving Slovakia in 1969 and immigrating to Canada. I had realized then that in my lifetime it would never be possible to return. Until 1986 I wasn't interested in Slovak Folklore or Slovak Cultural Heritage and I didn't even know anything about it. 

At world exposition EXPO 86 in Vancouver, during the first performance of Slovak folklore group Lucnica, while hearing three notes played by their primas Robert Puskar, something inside me has awaken. I stayed close to Lucnica during their two-week stay at Expo 86 and I didn't leave them. I learned from them about the folk festivals in Slovakia. With this there was sudden awakening inside me of something unknown, undreamed of love towards Slovak folklore of our grandparents, great grandparents but also their descendants.

All this I wanted to intercede with my photographs also from Detva and I hope that you will feel not only my feelings, but the magic of Detva's folklore will fill you with enthusiasm.

From my heart, Yours

Vladimir Linder

VLADIMIR LINDER

photographer, journalist, video producer,
valuable person

Vladimir Linder was born in Banska Bystrica September 8, 1949. His parents were Anna Linder nee Hering from Spisska Nova Ves and Jozef Linder from Zvolen. Father was a businessman. After nationalization in 1949, shortly after Vladimir’s birth they were forced to move from Zvolen. Few months they lived in Hronsek near by and then they moved to Bratislava, where Vladimir grew up. At the age of 12, Vladimir became an orphan. His father passed away in October 1961 from heart attack. His  mother started working and Vladimir went for first time to eat in the school cafeteria and he learn very fast to love, him until then hated, specialties of the Slovak cuisine such as squash sauce with dill and spinach sauce.

He held his first summer job in summer of 1962 as 13 year old in the Communal Service Company of Bratislava, where his father worked for many years before his death. From his first pay he bought himself a bike and then he went hitch hiking around Czechoslovakia, visiting castles and manor houses that were open to public. He repeated the summer jobs and hitch hiking trips until finishing grade nine. He started to study at trade secondary school for electrical technology in Bratislava for the next four years until his graduation.

During these studies he started taking pictures, when his mother brought him from her vacation in Moscow and Leningrad a Smena still camera. He was taking pictures every day and also took his camera on his first trip abroad hitch hiking to Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia in 1967.

All photographs are for sale

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The above article and photographs may not be copied, reproduced, republished, or redistributed by any means including electronic, without the express written permission of Vladimir Linder. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2000 Vladimir Linder