Your name
Petra Basnakova
Place of birth
Bratislava, Slovakia
Place where you live now
Zlin, Czech Republic
3 words to describe you
emotional, dreamer, empathic
Why do you take pictures?
For me, it's not just about taking pictures, but about leaving a kind of testimony for humanity. Photography is a powerful weapon that can be used to help but also to hurt. I've been choosing to help since I was little, and the camera became that tool for me.
Where do you get your inspiration?
From the rising sun on the burning desert, the smell of the earth after the rain, the smile of a stranger, music, art. Inspiration surrounds me at every corner, but I'm not always ready to perceive it to the maximum.
Who are your influences?
Alec Soth, Nanna Heitmann, Yaakov Israel and Martin Kollar
What determines the subject matter you choose?
I think that the topic that I will process photographically has so far chosen me by itself. Every time I walk, something appears. For example, my last project about desert Bedouins came to my life also out of nowhere. One morning I fell asleep in the middle of the desert, where I got lost, and was woken up by a little boy on a white donkey, and two black goats were frolicking behind him. He led me to his community, where they gave me a drink and a meal, and the moment of their kindness and devotion was the one when I said to myself that I can't end it with a simple thank you.
What impact would you like your art to have?
With my work, I want to bring joy to people in a world full of negative thinking and gradual destruction. I want to bring hope to hopelessness and point to those who, despite being hurt, still have love and the need to help.
What artwork do you never get bored with?
Broken Manual by Alec Soth and Field Trip by Martin Kollar
Is there anything you want to add?
I would like to encourage every person who sincerely dedicates himself to photography and contributes to the future history of photography with his work. Create despite the opinions of others, as long as it fills you internally. Create despite prejudices, as long as you feel that it is you.
