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Viktor Đerek is a Croatian photographer, best known for his work which was featured in an advertising campaign and for his musical career, he gained as a child. His musical career began at age of 8, after having a chance to perform live at Marin Držić Theatre, covering songs by artists such as Lady Gaga and Adele.
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Quick Facts
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| Born |
March 8, 2000
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| Age | 24 years |
| Birth place | Split, Croatia |
| Education | University of Zadar |
| Known for | Photography, Music |
| Occupation | Photographer |
Early life
Viktor Đerek was born in March 8, 2000 in Split, Croatia. His mother name is Dragana
Đerek and he has an younger brother named Stjepan Đerek and a sister Katarina Đerek, who is also a musician.
He has studied in Srednja škola fra Andrije Kačića Miošića (2014–2018), Art school Luka Sorkočević and University of Zadar.
Career
Photography
Đerek’s photography journey began while traveling with his grandfather, capturing moments with an analog camera and uploading them on image hosting service – Flickr. His talent was recognized by his elementary school teacher after getting involved in musical theater and quickly developing a love of music and performance. His dedication to the photography class has helped him a lot in understanding the angle of the lens. His family has always encouraged him to pursue a great career in photography.
Music and theater
Also, Viktor’s passion for music and theatre has helped him to get a close view of things and theories. In mid-2013, Đerek directed, produced and filmed his first short documentary film – Fairy Tale Croatia. The film features footage of the city of Dubrovnik, Zadar, and Zagreb as well as the footage of the National Park of Plitvice Lakes. „Kako da stanem?“ was a school project directed and created by Viktor Đerek in 2014. It dives into behind the scenes of photography where the main focus was on post-production and editing. Viktor
says that capturing new memories keeps him motivated. “I don’t think you should take photos just for the sake of taking them. You should only take photos because there is some deeper personal meaning for you. Whenever I see something truly important to me, I don’t need to “force” myself to take a photograph. The camera naturally floats toward my hand. There is no effort necessary,” he says, before adding: “I also am intrinsically motivated to document my loved ones, especially my close friends and family. I also have tried to cultivate a sense of appreciation for the beauty of the moment, and then I think to myself; “This is a wonderful moment. I might want to reflect on and appreciate this moment in the future”. Then I take a photograph.”
Activism
Apart from being a talented photographer and musician, Viktor Đerek is also known for his activism. If he is not fighting for the preservation of nature, he will be fighting for human rights in conjunction with human rights organizations such as Born This Way Foundation and Human Rights Campaign. This activism has earned him popularity among the youth.
Magazines
A special screening of the movie Love, Simon was organized before the official start of its theatrical run for one of the surveys conducted for HRC and Blitz Hrvatska. Several international literary magazines published his poems, which made him one of the youngest Balkan poets to achieve this. Đerek collaborated with writer and journalist Milko Peko on a historical novel titled „Grački boj“ which was released at the end of 2019. During an Instagram live session, Viktor was asked if he would release some music in the future. He mentioned something about the reunion of the Ambasada Production (old studio and production team formed after winning the music show back in 2012.), how losing his grandfather at the end of 2019. only confirmed the claim that it was the worst year of his life, and how he was enchanted by Dua Lipa’s new single. He mentioned how he looks forward to the next year and admits was singing and producing something during the quarantine and lockdown caused by COVID-19. Viktor was born in Split, Croatia on the 8th of March, 2000 to Dragana and Dragan Đerek. He has a younger brother Stjepan and younger sister Katarina.
Rumors
Back in 2018, in an interview for local newspapers and television, Viktor talked about how being a family photographer brought him to having little photographs from his childhood. Due to rumors about his father being dead, he only added „he is very alive“, he laughed, „but nor do I or anyone else has contact with him“.
Did you know…
- He is the youngest photographer in Croatia.
- He has also worked in two short films.
- His work published in several international magazines.