Jindřich Štreit is known for his long-term documentation of village life in his home region of Sovinec, Moravia, in the Czech Republic. After the fall of the Soviet bloc in 1989 opened new opportunities for international exchange, Štreit began a broader exploration of rural communities across Europe. In 1994, he returned to North East England for a residency based in Rookhope, a former fluorspar mining village in County Durham. He extended his focus to surrounding ex-coalmining communities in the Wear Valley, where most collieries had closed in the 1960s and 70s.

The project reflects both the commonalities and differences in village life across shifting political and economic landscapes. Štreit’s photographs are quiet, observational and deeply rooted in human connection. He once wrote: “To take a picture of a fire or a strike is attractive, but to take a picture of two people having lunch is a real art.” Village is a Global World sits within this ethos, an understated but powerful portrait of post-industrial life shaped by continuity, adaptation and community.

Jindřich Štreit is a Czech documentary photographer known for his long-term engagement with rural communities in Moravia. Born in 1946, he has built an extensive body of work focused on everyday life under communism and in its aftermath, capturing with clarity and empathy the relationships, rituals and routines of village life. His photographs are marked by a deep connection to place and a sensitivity to the quiet dignity of his subjects.

Štreit first came to Side Gallery's attention through the Unclear Family international photography workshops, which he joined in County Durham in 1993. He returned for subsequent workshops in Amiens, Luby and Essen, forming lasting creative relationships with fellow participants. His project The Village is a Global World, developed in this context, reflects his commitment to photographing from within the communities he documents.

His work has been exhibited internationally and is held in major collections, but Štreit has remained grounded in his home region, continuing to photograph local life with consistency and care. He is widely recognised as one of the most important Czech photographers of his generation.