To whom it May Concern
June 21, 2005
Re:
REFERENCE LETTER FOR SLOVAK PHOTOGRAPHER – ROBO KOCAN
Dear Sir / Madam:
Robo Kocan is one of the most significant contemporary photographers in Slovakia – I have had an opportunity to follow his professional path since 1998 when his work was exhibited as part of a show titled “ALTERED PHOTOGRAPHY – contemporary Slovak staged photography” at FOTOFEST in Houston, Texas. Shortly after, he visited Tucson and presented privately his works for curators and photographers. At that time, I was working as the Assistant Director at University of Arizona Museum of Art and was awarded a Fubright Research Award for contemporary Slovakian arts research in 2004.
Robo Kocan works as a free-lance artist and occasional lecturer. His body of work is focused on mixed-media (issues of identity, family history and racial unity) and staged photography (luminography, scenography, additional painting into the image). Topics of night, fairy-tales fantasies, pre-staged compositions, large scale images and limited editions of prints brought to this artist international recognition with many opportunities for artists-in-residence and other creative programs.
I would also like to add his cooperation with the only Slovak photographic center – Dom fotografie / House of Photography in Poprad: besides his exhibitions produced by the center, he assists with artists-in-residence programs and occasional lectures at international workshops.
His professional curriculum in the field of photography, his basic skills in the English language and international experiences are the major reasons for his candidacy for this photography award .
Please, should you have any further questions, do not hesitates to send me an e-mail on the above address.
Sincerely,
Lee Karpiscak
Independent Arts Consultant, 2002 to present
Assistant Director at University of Arizona Museum of Art, 1977-2002
Fulbright Research Scholar, 2004