My name is Arpád Mátyás Pál, yet for those who know me simply call me Arpo or Arpi. I was born in Zvolen in 1999, to an environment constantly involved in crafts and arts such as ceramics, sculpting, carpentry, goldsmithing and painting. However, I myself have always felt a much stronger connection to music, whether I am the performer or simply a part of the audience. Music has become an indivisible part of me. I have lived in many places throughout my life, some of which were abroad. As a child, I spent some time in Tel Aviv, Israel. Soon after reaching adulthood, I lived in Iceland and Scotland. I discovered the beauty of photography thanks to my mother's former partner, a friend of a well-known photographer, Tibor Huszar, who would frequently spend time with us. Unfortunately he passed away in 2013. It was this period of my life that has awakened my passion for photography, a passion that has been growing ever since. At the Secondary Industrial School of Samuel Mikovini, I graduated in Graphic and Spatial design. I was given an opportunity to acquire knowledge in principles of composition in visual arts. I was also able to expand the borders of my creativity by working with a variety of materials and technological procedures. After my studies, I had been travelling and working abroad for over three years. I had also encountered new people, cultures and traditions. These years spent "on the road" awoke an immense interest in documenting life of average people as well as symbols hidden in the shapes and objects surrounding me. When I started with photography, of course, I was purely dependent on a mobile camera. However, this changed when I inherited my great-grandfather's medium format legend, the twin-lens reflex camera Yashica-Mat 124G, which uses the classic 120 roll film format 6x6cm. It became my inseparable “fellow companion” and my eyes got accustomed to the square shaped composition occurring natural to them and is present in vast majority of my art. I find most inspiration in the ever-changing environments, music, and emotions resulting from social interactions and rejuvenating time spent in nature. Currently I alternately work in Bratislava and Banska Stiavnica in shared ateliers with my father Arpád Pál, where I develop films, photographs and process other photographic materials in dark room designated for this purpose. In February 2023, I was accepted to the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava. As a student of Photography and New Media, I will be allowed to continue improving myself both personally and professionally.
