White Night, by Martin Stranka

Martin Stranka, born on April 13, 1984, in Prague, Czech Republic, is an award-winning self-taught photographer celebrated for his mesmerizing and dreamlike imagery. Originally finding solace in photography as a form of therapy after the loss of a close friend during his time as a business school student, Martin's hobby evolved into a profound passion and eventually his profession. His distinctive vision of the medium occupies a unique space of balance and serenity, with rich, complex imagery that seems to capture the fleeting moments between dreams and awakenings.
Martin’s pieces are reminiscent of stills from a film that walks the line between fantasy and reality. He explores our fascination with the incomplete narrative. In his words: “In these deliberately unfinished visual stories, I’m searching for the boundary between aesthetic appeal and a dramatic scene.” Martin's work has been exhibited and auctioned by leading auction house Christie's in London and Amsterdam, and his solo and group exhibitions have been hosted in North and South America, throughout Europe, and as far as Asia. Martin's dreamlike, transportive photography has been commissioned by cultural institutions such as the National Theatre in Prague and the Czech National Ballet. Dozens of his images have also been used by New York publishers for the covers of mystery and thriller novels — genres Martin believes his work is perfectly suited to. He has created book covers for the biggest New York publishers, such as HarperCollins Publishers, Sterling Publishing and Penguin Random House, and he has collaborated with other book publishers, music publishers and artists around the world.