A Small Voice: Conversations With Photographers

263 - Tony Dočekal

Episode Summary

Dutch photographer and visual artist Tony Dočekal on Josef Koudelka, dealing with the weight of the photographic history, the advantage of being an outsider, working with the unhoused for non-profit the Sheltersuit Foundation, and the story behind the picture of a man in a pink frilly dress.

Episode Notes

Tony Dočekal (Amsterdam, 1992) is a photographer and visual artist. Her work explores identity, belonging, and the friction between autonomy and societal expectations. Working intuitively, she combines personal encounters with quiet observations. Her images balance intimacy and distance, often showing how personal stories and landscapes reflect larger systems.

Tony’s first book, The Color of Money and Trees, was published by VOID in 2024 and launched at Paris Photo. The work was also exhibited at Biennale Images Vevey alongside her debut short film, Pearls on Credit. She holds a BA in Fine Arts from ArtEZ University of the Arts.

In episode 263 Tony discusses, among other things:

• Her Czech dad and Dutch mum’s history
• Dealing with the ‘weight’ of the photographic history of the American road trip genre
• The advantage of being an outsider
• Getting a dream gig early on - a photobook book about alternative schools
• Going to Lesbos to cover the refugee crisis
• Working with the unhoused for Dutch non-profit the Sheltersuit Foundation
• The story behind her picture of a man in a pink frilly dress…
• … And the one of 9-year-old Lyric in front of a plate of beans
• The short film she made
• The amazing 70’s-built house she has bought with her partner

Referenced:

• Josef Koudelka

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