Marie Tomanová traveled from Mikulov to the USA as an au pair, today she photographs campaigns for Nike, Instagram or magazines such as Vogue CS. Her name is better known abroad than in her native country, which offered few opportunities for the young painter. Marie Dvořáková documented five years of her life in the film The World Between Us, which they presented together at the International Festival of Documentary Films in Jihlava.
After watching the documentary, the viewer may feel that the American dream has come true. Do you encounter such an opinion?
Yes, everyone is asking me about the American dream now, because everyone can imagine something under it. But it’s such a myth. I’m also not sure that the American dream means what it used to mean these days. While before I imagined the American dream as freedom, freedom, flying, adventure and that something will be successful, today I think it mainly refers to material success. But I had to go far to find myself by getting out of the ruts of life in a small town where everyone knows me and puts me in a box without any control over it. At the same time, the story of my journey to America resonates with the life story of the director of the documentary, Maria Dvořáková, who also went to the United States and won the student Oscar for her short film. The fact that fate brought us together in New York and then made this documentary is absolutely amazing.
And paradoxically, now you are in the box of the American dream fulfilled…
It’s funny, I think to myself, what is the American dream. I didn’t have one, it was a snuff to me. I just wanted to go as far as I could and where there would be work that I could do. I didn’t go to America to fulfill my dream, I was lost after college and the desire to become a successful artist left me. However, going anywhere far gives you the freedom to find yourself. You can transform yourself and find out what you enjoy, what your goals are, which may end up being bigger than you ever dreamed possible. America helped me with this. In a completely different country and culture, I was the first to fall apart into a thousand pieces and then put myself back together again. I found myself.
What is it like for you to look at yourself from the outside thanks to the documentary?
It is an absolutely incredible, powerful experience. I never thought I would laugh at my own life like this. At the time, some situations weren’t funny at all, but with the passage of time and hindsight, it’s terrible fun. Marie Dvořáková likes humor and it shows in the documentary. You suddenly see yourself completely differently, as if you were watching someone else’s story.
Did you learn something new about yourself?
I think it will develop even more the more times I see the documentary. But first of all, I felt very lucky to have met some people in my life – especially Thomas Beachdel. I am grateful for the life we share together. The movie also reminded me how important it is to enjoy the present moment.
The documentary has several levels – it follows your career, the topic of traveling, returning home and the relationship line. It is the last line that shows the relationship with your husband Thomas Beachdel, with whom you have a strong artistic partnership, that probably touched me the most…
The line of relationship and our creative connection stands out very strongly in the document. Thomas and I have been together for 12 years and a lot of the footage is from the beginning of our relationship. It’s so beautiful when you meet a person with whom you can create and everything just sort of fits together. Thomas is a professor of art history at the City University of New York and has an amazing knowledge not only in the field of art, but I take photos and enjoy creativity in action. We complement each other perfectly. He believed in me before I even thought of taking photography seriously. It is beautiful to meet a kindred spirit and share life’s journey together. I learned a lot of things from him, like how to talk about my art. Unfortunately, no one taught me that at art school.
Success is not worth chasing
The documentary also echoes the idea that being a successful artist means being a successful businesswoman. How do you deal with this task?
That’s just the way it is, so I can take a photo, I need it to earn money. I used to babysit, clean, but today I only make a living from photography. I consider it a great success to make a living from art in New York. I learned how important PR is very early on, when I worked at the Czech Center New York in the publicity department. In the mornings and in the evenings, I did my art projects, gradually commercial orders were added, and I learned everything on the fly, very enthusiastically and with joy.
Your husband Thomas also says in the documentary that rather than taking pictures and the photo as such, you want to experience the moments and get to know the people you photograph. It sounds as if you are mainly guided by intuition and do not think ahead about whether and how you will be successful. Is that so?
I think it would never work if I told myself I wanted to be successful. In addition, how do you know if you are successful or not? It is individual. It’s important to me that I do what I enjoy – that’s why I do it. If other people see my work as a success, that’s great, but I mainly like to take pictures. There’s energy in photography and that feeling in your gut when you’re shooting something and you know it’s going to be great photos is priceless. Looking through the viewfinder, working with people in front of the camera and the moments you experience together are the most amazing for me.
What are you working on right now?
This month I opened a major exhibition at C24 Gallery in New York called Lost and Found. I am exhibiting a new series of self-portraits that I shot on instant film every day during 2022, it contains over 344 photos. At the same time, I am also exhibiting my new paintings, because I started painting again for the first time from a height. It’s a very big step for me, stepping out of the comfort zone of photography, where I already feel very comfortable.
In April, I am preparing an exhibition for the Moravian Gallery in Brno, to which I warmly invite you. And Thomas, together with the curator Lucía Černá, are working very intensively on a new project that will connect my work with the work of the photographer Libuša Jarcovjáková. So there is something to look forward to.
Attach yourself to the commercial aspect of photography. How do you find the balance between artistry and the demands of a commercial career?
Absolutely, intuition plays a huge role in my work. While I understand the need for business and the commercial side of things, I strive to stay true to my artistic vision and the reasons I fell in love with photography in the first place. I believe that if you focus on creating genuine connections with people and capturing authentic moments, the commercial success will naturally follow. It’s important to maintain that balance—while I do take on commercial projects, I always approach them with an artistic mindset. This way, I’m able to enjoy the process and keep the passion alive, rather than getting lost in the commercial side. Ultimately, I want my work to resonate on a deeper level, making the experience worthwhile for both me and the subject.