ZAGREB, MADRID, MARIBOR, BRATISLAVA

Branimir Ritonja was born in 1961. He is a criminologist by profession. He gets his first camera in 1971. In 1973 he develops his first black and white film and produces his first black and white photograph in the dark room. In 1978 he publishes a report about Edvard Kardelj's funeral in the newspapers Borba and Varnost. In 1981 he becomes a member of the photographic club Fotoklub Maribor, where he meets Ivan Dvoršak, his mentor for the next few years. In that same year he shoots the picture Starec (Old Man). In 1982 he is awarded second place at the Art Photography exhibition in Belgrade (book Psihologija zapažanja umjetničkog dijela). Daughter Nina is born. In 1986 he takes the picture Deklica z jabolkom (Girl with an Apple). One year later he creates the series Arhitektura (Architecture) and Portreti (Portraits) in a black and white photographic technique that excludes the greyscale. During 1988–1989 he produces the photograph series Svetlobne skice (Light Sketches). In 1989 the Yugoslav Photographic Association (FZJ) bestows on him the title Candidate-Master of Photography. He exhibits in the Belgrade FZJ Gallery but his photographs are not returned to him. In 1990 he begins to use the middle format camera. In 1991 Yugoslavia breaks apart. During 1994–1997 he photographs graffiti and exhibits the pictures in the Little Gallery of the Congress and Cultural Centre Cankarjev dom. In 1995 the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP) bestows on him the title Artist of the International Federation of Photographic Art (AFIAP). In 1996 he becomes Art Director of the Stolp Photo Gallery. In 1998 he is bestowed the title Master of Photography by the Slovene Photographic Association. In 1999 he researches the technique of digital photography and gets a Hasselblad X-Pan camera in 2001. In the same year he participates at an art workshop in Madrid and continues with his studies travelling around Spain and Southern France. During this time he creates a collection of photographs on the topic of the Spanish Corrida Sin salida – No Way Out. In 2002 he is voted President of the Fotoklub Maribor. In the same year he starts experimenting with photography of stone and other surfaces. In 2003 he creates a photographic-space installation entitled 20 and exhibits it in the Stolp Photo Gallery. In 2004 he shoots the series Mariborska dvorišča (Maribor Courtyards). During 2004–2005 he creates a series of works entitled Nedeljsko jutro (Sunday Morning). In 2005 he spends his time studying in Bratislava and creates a series of motif contrasts. In 2006 he starts photographing town suburbs. He prides himself upon 27 solo exhibitions and over 400 group exhibitions as well as over 100 awards.

Home page:
http://www2.arnes.si/~briton1/