Czechoslovakia, Slovakia, Zehra
- Artist: Josef Koudelka
- Date: 1967
- Medium: Photograph, gelatin silver print on paper
- Dimensions: image: 541 × 347 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
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About this artwork
This is the “Czechoslovakia, Slovakia, Zehra” by Josef Koudelka. It’s a 1967 gelatin‑silver print, 541 × 347 mm, a single frame from Koudelka’s first series, Gypsies. The photograph opens on a narrow street in what was then Czechoslovakia. The camera—his 25 mm wide‑angle lens—cuts in close to a Roma family gathered around a small fire. You can see the texture of their clothing, the weary yet hopeful eyes, and the way the light falls across the uneven floor.
Koudelka, known to the communities as “Ikonar,” or “maker of icons,” spent months immersing himself in these intimate settings. He captured not only daily life but the undercurrent of post‑war upheaval: forced integration, persecution, and the quiet resilience that kept their traditions alive.
This image is a powerful reminder of the human stories behind headlines, a testament to Koudelka’s commitment to give voice to those often unseen.
See it in person
Czechoslovakia, Slovakia, Zehra is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
