Renaissance Play House - Backyard, 2026

Dubravka Lazic  

This meticulously staged photography explores the intersection of miniature scale and classical aesthetics. The scene presents a surreal domesticity. Small objects are arranged with surgical precision. A tiny cauldron hangs over a flickering flame. Benches and baskets populate the stark white void. These elements evoke a nostalgic, toy-like atmosphere. 
The composition is anchored by a cutout of a draped figure. This element introduces a dramatic, theatrical quality to the arrangement. The contrast between the three-dimensional miniatures and the flat silhouette creates a playful tension. It challenges the viewer's perception of space and depth. 
The lighting is clean and diffused. Every texture is rendered with absolute clarity. From the woven baskets to the smooth surfaces of the benches, the detail is exacting. This artwork reflects a deep academic interest in visual media. It transforms a simple backyard tableau into a conceptual study of form. The neutral background isolates the objects. This focus emphasizes the rhythmic placement of each item across the horizontal plane. The result is a silent, frozen narrative that blends historical references with modern photographic precision.

Renaissance Play House is a photographic series that juxtaposes Renaissance drawings and paintings with plastic toy furniture, creating unexpected visual encounters between historical heritage and contemporary consumer culture. Through the deliberate collision of opposing elements—timeless and disposable, refined and playful, sacred and ordinary—the works invite viewers to question established values and cultural narratives. The resulting tension becomes a visual metaphor for transformation, suggesting that perhaps it is time for a new Renaissance.

Dubravka Lazić is an artist and professor of photography whose work combines analog and digital techniques, often exploring the interplay between reality and imagination. Her practice is marked by a poetic visual language that intertwines narrative, memory, and experimentation. Through photography, photograms, and mixed media processes, she creates layered images that evoke intimacy and reflection, while also highlighting the subtle tension between tradition and contemporary approaches.

From the Renaissance Play House series
Digital photography
Archival pigment print on Hahnemühle paper
Edition of 6