Ben Harman, Director of Stills: Centre for Photography in Edinburgh, speaks to Markéta Luskačová.

This special episode of Photography Down The Line is a recording of a conversation between Ben Harman and the photographer Markéta Luskačová at a public event held at Stills, Edinburgh on 12th August 2023. The event marked the launch of Luskačová's solo exhibition at Stills. 

Markéta Luskačová was born in 1944 and became a freelance photographer in 1968 whilst undertaking postgraduate studies in Photography at the Academy of Film and Fine Arts, Prague. She relocated to London in 1975 and was a Nominee Photographer with Magnum Photographic Agency, Paris from 1976-80. Since 1971, Luskačová’s work has featured in exhibitions around the world and notable solo exhibitions have been held at the V&A, London (1983-84); Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood (1989); Whitechapel Gallery, London (1991); Stills Gallery, Sydney (1998); Leica Gallery, Prague (2014); Tate Britain, London (2018-19); and The Martin Parr Foundation, Bristol (2019).

Luskačová's solo exhibition at Stills opened for the Edinburgh Art Festival in August 2023. It brought together more than 50 works from some of Luskačová’s best-known series covering subjects such as: Pilgrims; Juvenile Jazz Bands in the North of England; Durham Cathedral and Chorister School; London Markets; London Street Musicians, Chiswick Women’s Aid and Carnivals in the Czech Republic. Stills worked with Luskačová to select photographs on the theme of children – an interest that permeates almost all of her work and for several years was the main subject of her pictures. By following this thread, we united photographs made around the UK and in Ireland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, dating from 1964-2009. The exhibition has been developed in partnership with the Centre for British Photography, London where it will be presented in 2024.

Episode music by Dom mino'