(un)noticeable dialogue
The series of photos produced at the Department of Gastroenterology of the Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka brings us the details of hospital everyday life. Marin Mešter portrays staff and patients in his photo-diptychs and diverts attention to what we usually do not pay attention to such as objects, plants, and unusual hospital corridors and clinics.
He creates a dialogue that changes from humorous to thoughtful and melancholic. He suggests a narrative between characters and objects; a wistful nurse and a leaning plant, a tall serious doctor and a thin elongated rack, smiling nurses and a bunch of colourful plastic containers. The author isolates individuals and objects, giving them importance whilst stripping them of their title and position. Some characters - pausing their work for a moment - pose readily while others are lost in thought and do not notice the act of documenting.
The images visually entice us with the colour of the interior, jumping locations where patina marks this valuable example of hospital architecture in Rijeka with refined, large and clean wall surfaces. By graphically shaping the scenes, skilfully approaching the composition, aligning the accents of bright colours and narrating through the arrangement of diptychs, Mester has surpassed pure documentarism. Because of his unique view the series cannot be described as a string of portraits and hospital still life but as a whole with a clear form and beautiful content.
