Nothing special
Nothing Special is a photo-essay by Slovak photographer Martin Kollár, first published in 2008. Known for his quietly ironic and observational style, Kollár spent several years traveling across Eastern Europe—particularly post-communist Slovakia—capturing scenes of everyday life that are at once mundane and absurd.
Rather than focusing on grand historical narratives, Nothing Special examines the lingering contradictions of a society in transition. With a deadpan eye for detail, Kollár photographs strange juxtapositions, institutional spaces, awkward public rituals, and fleeting, surreal moments that reveal the tension between the banal and the bizarre.
The title itself is a wry commentary on what is often considered unremarkable. Yet through Kollár’s lens, the “nothing special” becomes something deeply revealing—a reflection of a region still negotiating its place between past and present, East and West.
Martin Kollár (Žilina, 1971), a former member of the collective Sputnik Photos, is internationally recognized for his documentary approach that blends skepticism, dark humor, and poetic visual storytelling.
︎︎︎ More of Martins work at martinkollar.com
