Born and raised in Croatia, Viktor Đerek already made huge impressions in the world of photography and music. Đerek’s photography journey began while traveling with his grandfather, capturing moments with an analog camera and uploading them on image hosting service – Flickr.
Viktor wrote his first song at the age of 8 for his best friend. His talent was recognized by his elementary school teacher after getting involved in musical theater and quickly developing a love of music and performance. Studying music in Art school Luka Sorkočević led him to win the music show for teens called Republika back in 2012., which brought Đerek into the limelight and ever since then, he has been performing live at various manifestations.
Puberty was the greatest threat to Viktor Đerek’s musical career. Đerek’s fans first noticed his vocal troubles in August 2014, during the singer’s ARTPOP (originally by Lady Gaga) 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. 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 that is 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.”
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.
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. Đerek collaborated with writer and journalist Milko Peko on a new historical novel titled Grački boj.
Đerek dated fellow Instagram personality Monia Brajdić from late 2015 to 2017. They met over the internet and were seen many times together in Karlovac and Zagreb since Monia lived in Karlovac, and by the time their relationship was not sustainable.
For those interested in seeing the future works of Viktor Đerek should visit his Instagram profile account on @viktorderek.
