Lukáš Horký

Childhood

Lukáš Horký was born on 20 April 1979 in Boskovice (4:00 a.m.; 4.2 kg; 53 cm; no. 48). However, he spent most of his life in Frýdek-Místek, where his family was brought by his father’s work. His father, a native of Hanušovice, began working after university as a research worker at the Research Institute of Iron and Steel in Dobrá. His mother worked as a mathematics and physics teacher. He spent his childhood and youth in North Moravia, and his holidays with his grandmother in Lysice and the Jeseníky Mountains.

He attended a primary school with extended instruction in mathematics and natural sciences. At grammar school he shared a desk with David Stypka and, together with classmates David Kirš and David Kopřiva, founded a music group from which the still active band Downbelow later emerged.

Studies and teaching activity

After graduating from secondary school, he studied computer science at Masaryk University in Brno, where he earned his bachelor's degree (2003) and master's degree (2005). He later expanded his education in photography at the Institute of Creative Photography of the Faculty of Philosophy and Science of Silesian University in Opava, where he earned the title of Bachelor of Arts (BcA.) in 2012 and Master of Arts (MgA.) in 2018. In 2018–2024, he studied in a combined doctoral programme in Film, Television and Photographic Art and New Media, which he successfully completed with his doctoral final examination (Ph.D.).

Between 2007 and 2016 he worked as a specialist assistant at the Institute of Informatics of the Faculty of Business and Economics of Mendel University in Brno, where he lectured on Audiovisual Communication and Digital Photography. In his teaching, he focused on connecting photography with modern technologies and multimedia creation.

Photography and authorial projects

Lukáš Horký has long been devoted to documentary and conceptual photography, and his main thematic areas include the transformations of urban and natural environments, industrial landscapes, and the visual identity of the region. He creates long-term cycles that reflect social changes and the historical layers of places, which are often undergoing transformation or disappearance.

Since 2008 he has systematically documented the changing face of the city of Frýdek-Místek in an extensive black-and-white series My City. The project captures the architectural, urbanistic, and social changes of the city space and its atmosphere, and in 2019 this series received an honorable mention in the Silesian Press Photography competition. Photographs from this cycle are part of the collections of the Beskydy Museum in Frýdek-Místek.

Another significant project is The Story of Landscape, created since 2017 as a series of visual lyrical diary records from the author's wanderings through the landscapes of the Jeseníky and Beskydy mountains. The photographs are accompanied by authorial texts that capture the atmosphere of the places. A book version of the project was published in 2020, and for the series The Story of Landscape – Coal Landscape he won second place that same year in the competition Fotografia Prasowa Śląska in Katowice. In 2021 he took third place in the same competition for the series Lost City, reflecting urban life during the Covid-19 pandemic, and he also succeeded in the international industrial photography competition Foto Pein 13, held in Rybnik-Chwałowice, Poland.

He also addresses the broader issues of vanished villages in the Sudetenland, the consequences of coal mining in the Karviná region, and landscape changes after human intervention. His photographs are marked by clean composition, sensitive use of light, and strong visual storytelling.

Music and theatre

Besides photography, he is actively involved in music. In 1999 he founded the music group Downbelowwith guitarist David Kopřiva and drummer Petr Fuciman, a band devoted to alternative rock and the indie-rock scene. Together they released three albums – Roadside Traveler (2011), Other World (2014), and Decameron Locis (2017). In 2016, together with David Kopřiva, he composed the stage music for the dance production Mezizemí. 

As a theatre photographer, he received an honorable mention in 2018 in the competition Czech Theatre Photography in the category Production / theatre-performative project – professionals. In 2025, he took third place in the same competition with the series Jurij Andruchovyč – Dušan David Pařízek: Moskoviáda.

Publishing and literature

During the Covid-19 pandemic he founded the book publishing house Surbanz and the series Urle, which focuses on forgotten German authors from the Czech borderlands. The aim of this series is to revitalize the literary heritage of the Sudetenland and bring significant but forgotten authors and their works closer to contemporary readers.

Graphic design

Horký also devotes himself to visual design and commercial work. He has collaborated with a number of cultural institutions and art projects, creating the visual identity of the Frýdek-Místek Symphony Orchestra and the Ostravica folklore ensemble. He was for many years the graphic designer behind the Sweetsen fest festival and designed dozens of theatre, film, and music posters, as well as music album covers. As a theatre photographer, he has documented hundreds of productions. Sweetsen fest and designed dozens of theatre, film, and music posters, as well as music album covers. As a theatre photographer, he has documented hundreds of productions.

Life and other activities

In his free time he devotes himself to sport and actively plays basketball for BK Frýdek-Místek. He lives and works in Frýdek-Místek, where he has long been engaged in documenting the city, cultural activities, and regional themes. His work connects photography, video, graphic design, and music, while he seeks new ways of visual storytelling and artistic documentation of the world around him. He is a member of the Association of Professional Photographers and chairman of the board of the engineering company MEZ.