Jaka Gasar inherited the Spark - both the name and the column. For over two decades, Gasar has been the driving force behind the initiative of Nedeljski Dnevnik newspaper which encourages readers to donate and help the children and teenagers in need. The work is undoubtedly highly sensitive, as the editorial staff is driven to fairly present the hardships of people, who expect and need their help. The initiative reveals the most sensitive aspects of people’s lives, the ones that most people are reluctant to reveal to the world and especially to their neighbours. With a sharp eye for the decisive moment, Jaka Gasar and a crew of reporters have been entering the homes of stigmatized people for over a decade. Yet the decisive moment is not the one described by Henri Cartier-Bresson (according to John Beger, when Bresson is after that decisive moment, it resembles a wild animal stalking its prey), but rather a moment which will evoke compassion with the donors while allowing the recipients to retain their dignity. The man behind the lens is irrelevant for the photographs; the captured images speak for themselves. Gasar is not afraid to stage the composition of the photographs – quite often, especially when time is scarce, he places the people in a room without instructing them and retreats until they forget about his presence. Only after their true expression is revealed is he ready to capture their image. The photographs are always pristine and convincing, as Gasar does not attempt to hide his influence on the photograph and does not care for over-dramatization. Due to their authenticity, the photographs never lack reality and that is what makes them so heart-breaking.
About the author
Jaka Gasar began his career as a photojournalist at Dnevnik newspaper and covered every important socio-political, cultural and sporting event. His photographs were published in numerous Slovene newspapers and magazines. In 2009, he won the Slovenia Photo Press competition for best story. Recently, he began focusing on documentary photography, covering the lives of steelworkers in Jesenice and the accompanying hockey craze, along with the local Muslim community. In collaboration with Roma activist Haris Tahirovič he chronicles the life of the Roma in their makeshift settlements. Gasar’s work was exhibited at independent exhibitions at the KUD France Prešeren in 2004 and at the Romano Chon Roma month at the Slovene Ethnographic Museum in 2011. Gasar is also the co-founder of the first photojournalist collective in Slovenia – the Zorye Collective.