PHOTOGRAPHY LAB: SHOOT. PRINT. ZINE.
with Gabriela Zigová, Lucia Kotvanová, and Inga Ivanova (UK/SK, SK, and DE)
Are you interested in photography and experimenting in the darkroom? Would you like to show off by the end of summer with your very own small photographic publication?
The Photography Lab offers an intensive hands-on program focused on both analogue and contemporary photographic approaches. Participants will work in three smaller groups (3 – 4 people), rotating through three different workshops led by active visual artists and photographers.
What will the Photography Lab bring you?
- Experimenting in the darkroom: creating photograms, black-and-white prints, cyanotypes, and exploring other alternative photographic techniques.
- New perspectives on everyday photography: through experimentation and intuition, we will look for extraordinary moments hidden in ordinary situations—from subtle details and personal objects to spontaneous encounters, friendships, movement, light, and the atmosphere of shared experiences.
- A snapshot photography workshop: focused on point-and-shoot cameras, working with flash, light, atmosphere, and composition.
- One-on-one consultations: the opportunity to discuss your own creative work directly with the tutors.
- The experience of making your own photo zine: editing and selecting photos into a final sequence, which we will turn into a zine—a small, handmade photographic publication that weaves the captured moments into a shared visual story. (For returning participants from previous years, this will be the perfect way to process three years of work in a tangible way. 🙂
Who is the Photography Lab open to?
The lab is open to everyone from 15 to 99+ years of age, basic camera setting skills are welcome, but not required. It will be exciting for anyone who wants to develop their photography skills, experiment with different techniques, and learn within a group in an inspiring environment. If you are looking for new ways to tell stories and preserve memories through photography, you are in the right place.
Please bring your own camera. For the point-and-shoot workshop, film cameras will be provided.
Schedule of the Photography Lab
We will set up the schedule flexibly and individually based on your availability. Generally, however, we will work as follows:
- Friday, August 21, 2026 from 18:00 to 20:00: Joint opening and introductory session.
- Saturday and Sunday, August 22 – 23, 2026 from 12:00 to 16:00
- Monday to Friday, August 24 – 28, 2026 from 16:00 to 20:00
- Saturday, August 29, 2026 morning workshop to finalize projects from 10:00 to 14:00, followed by the final exhibition and celebration from 16:00 to 19:00
Admission is free, but capacity is limited to 9–12 people. Reserve your spot today:
Who are the tutors of the Photography Lab?
Gabriela Zigová grew up in Trenčín and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design (VŠVU) in Bratislava. She has spent 10 years living and working in London, where she was a member of the independent gallery The Steamship PS Collective for six years. Gabriela’s work focuses on photography, performance, and spatial installations. By intertwining documentation and lived experience, she maps the lives of subcultures as spaces of togetherness, care, and resistance despite the uncertainties of the present. She recently captured these themes in her book publication Dancing Through the Debris.
www.instagram.com/gabriela_zigova
Lucia Kotvanová works as a gallery educator, visual artist, and curator. In 2014, she exhibited at the International Biennale for Young Art in Moscow. She is the co-author of the books Draw a Sheep and What Do You Want to Be? An Artist?, and a co-recipient of the White Cube Award by the Council of Slovak Galleries in the Educational Project category. Lucia has worked as a gallery educator at Kunsthalle Bratislava and the Slovak National Gallery (SNG). She currently works at the Ján Koniarek Gallery in Trnava, where she heads the operations department. www.instagram.com/luciakotvanova
Inga Ivanova is a multidisciplinary artist working with photography, video, and performance. She studied Fine Art at Middlesex University in London and completed training in alternative black-and-white printing with master printer Melvin David Cambietties. In 2017, she co-founded Raum für Kunst e.V., a non-profit organization supporting art and music. She currently runs backsteinboot, an independent art space in Berlin that includes 23 studios and a project space. https://www.instagram.com/backsteinboot/
