Centrala
Fazeley St, Birmingham, B5 5RT
Until 30 March
Czech Documentary photographer and ex-primary school teacher Jindrich Streit has been photographing the people of his home village Sovinec, in the north of the Czech Republic, for over 40 years.
Imprisoned in the early 80s by the authorities for taking unsettling images of the brutal living conditions, including photographing a party meeting where people were asleep, he lost his teaching job and had to join his friends who worked on the local collective farm.
His photographs reveal the intimate relationship with the villagers and, despite the treatment towards him, he persevered with his photographic work and opened his house to the local community with a gallery for contemporary art on the first floor. Today it is a remarkable cultural centre that attracts work from around the world.
Area Culture Guide 