Nik Erik Neubauer
Today Is Friday
When the first wave of COVID-19 swept through Europe in 2020, mass protests followed in several countries worldwide. In Slovenia, the demonstrations were targeted at government policies and took place every Friday for more than a year, with an unprecedented tenacity. Nik Erik Neubauer was there week in, week out and regularly published his photographs on Instagram.
Nik Erik Neubauer, Today Is Friday, 2020– . Courtesy of the artist.
Nik Erik Neubauer, Today Is Friday, 2020– . Courtesy of the artist.
Nik Erik Neubauer, Today Is Friday, 2020– . Courtesy of the artist.
Nik Erik Neubauer, Today Is Friday, 2020– . Courtesy of the artist.
The Today Is Friday (2020–) project came about as a response to the protests in which the author participated both as a photographer and a protester. Neubauer belongs to a new generation of photographers whose documentary work is often political but who do not work under the wing of a news agency. As an independent photographer, he was not interested in a conventional photojournalistic approach. He was not after a broader perspective on the event, his focus was more on all the microstories unfolding within the macro context. He preferred to point his lens at intimate moments – at a couple in an embrace, at a humorous mask, at protesters with tears in their eyes in a poignant moment, at bored policemen.
The photographs from Today Is Friday blur the line between the feelings of the photographer and the feelings of his subjects. Neubauer’s photographs are eccentric, with unconventional compositions, while also featuring his signature overexposure due to the use of flash during daytime, which emphasises peculiar details and creates a slightly unsettling mood. The photographs of the protesters call forth questions regarding the role of documentary photography in today’s world, the social responsibility of photographers and the relationship between photographs being published in printed media or on social networks.
https://www.nikerikneubauer.com
The photographs from Today Is Friday blur the line between the feelings of the photographer and the feelings of his subjects. Neubauer’s photographs are eccentric, with unconventional compositions, while also featuring his signature overexposure due to the use of flash during daytime, which emphasises peculiar details and creates a slightly unsettling mood. The photographs of the protesters call forth questions regarding the role of documentary photography in today’s world, the social responsibility of photographers and the relationship between photographs being published in printed media or on social networks.
https://www.nikerikneubauer.com
Nik Erik Neubauer, Today Is Friday, 2020– . Courtesy of the artist.
Nik Erik Neubauer (1994) is a visual artist and photographer from Ljubljana. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in photography at VIST - Faculty of Applied Sciences in 2017 and his master’s degree at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana in 2021. He has been a finalist in the Balkan Photo Award (2017), Malta International Photo Award (2018), Brussels Street Photography Festival (2019) and Different Worlds (2020) competitions. He has received multiple awards at the Rovinj Photodays competition (2018, 2020). In 2020, he received the award for the best concert photograph at the Tresk Festival. In 2021, he was nominated for the Leica Oscar Barnack Newcomer Award and GUP Magazine named him amongst the most promising European photographers (Fresh Eyes).
Etc. is a annual magazine, dedicated to showcasing current artistic production from the Baltic to the Balkans.
Based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, each issue is dedicated to a relevant topic in art and life. Founded to promote emerging artists, its goal is to initiate a dialogue, inspire collaborations, and challenge set views.