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The year of 2016 was an eventful year for us and the world, in all. Now we reminisce upon our most favored articles that kept curiosity alive during those days.
As always, we appreciate your submissions, attention, and most of all admiration – it keeps us going. Enjoy these following highlights as inspiration for what is possible for you to create or be a part of this year…
For his series ‘L’inachevé‘ (‘The Unfinished’), French photographer Julien Lombardi traveled through Armenia to capture the country’s state of constant transformation since the collapse of the Soviet Union. After studying ethnology, Lombardi found his way into photography with a focus on documenting ordinary moments with an artistic approach. His work has been exhibited in galleries throughout Europe. Lombardi’s photographs from Armenia were taken on extended trips between 2012 and 2014 and below he shares his insights behind the images.
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09 Alex Mazurov & Anastasia Glebova
Russian photographers Alex Mazurov and Anastasia Glebova capture landscape photographs with a romantic touch for their travel blog ‘Near the lighthouse‘. One of their latest trips took them to the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean where the photographers created a silent and peaceful atmosphere within their images of the rugged landscape.
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For the re-design of Under The Influence Magazine, photographer Arnaud Lajeunie explored the theme of ‘private’ in his own specific way. Speaking of the project, the French photographer recounts: “The magazine offered us time and space to investigate the theme over 3 different sessions, including family, friends and models shots — which was a rather pleasant way to address a fashion editorial. ‘Needless to say I have unusual habits’ focuses on the various obsessions confessed by the models and/or the creative team behind the shoot.
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Rhiannon Schneiderman‘s eight self portrait series ‘Lady Mane’ is inspired by the concept of a man`s facial hair style in token of his masculinity. In her pictures, the artist assumes the same types of poses that can be found in fashion magazines dressed with hip accessories standing in front of a neutral background. Schneiderman stares both self-confident and with a tongue-in-cheek attitude into the camera while long wispy ponytails and hair braids dangle from her crotch. The series encourage women to question the established beauty norms in order to be proud of their body and who they are.
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For her series ‘Heima’ (‘Home’), Icelandic photographer Hekla Flokadottir explores the relationship between humans and nature with her sweeping landscape photos featuring nudes amidst the Icelandic countryside. We accompanied Flokadottir on one of her recent photoshoots to learn more about the inspiration behind her series as well as her views on being Icelandic.
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Kois Associated Architects designed a panoramic house with an infinity pool as the roof located on the Greek island of Tinos. The one-story ‘Mirage’ house is nestled into the island’s rugged landscape and offers stunning views over the Aegean Sea. Using local techniques like dry wall construction, the structure was also made of local materials such as retained earth. Speaking of the inspiration behind the concept, the architects say: “We wanted to make a house fused with its surroundings, an invisible oasis hidden from unsuspecting eyes. “We wanted to make a house fused with its surroundings, an invisible oasis hidden from unsuspecting eyes.” The house is acts almost like an observation point as it clings to the rocks and oversees the dramatic cascading landscape.”
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‘A Body Of Work’ is a series of self-portraits, contemporary photographer Polly Penrose took over seven years. Every picture is taken on self-timer, which made her work an energy-sapping creative process. Polly herself describes it as hammering her body picture by picture into the the room.The series is an ongoing, lifelong project, Polly says. „It will be interesting to see my body age and how the poses and locations will change with it.“ Polly Penrose studied Graphic Design at Camberwell College of Arts in London.
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French photographer Valentin Duciel spends his weekends escaping city life in the countryside of Provence. Being self-taught and inspired by the lifestyle of the 1960’s and 1970’s, Duciel always carries a film camera with him. In the following images, he takes us with him through a day in his life, in search of freedom and adventure.
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The girls portrayed in the candid yet sensitive series by Luo Yang appear both fragile and self-assured, bold and free. Taken together, the photographs subvert stereotypes, conveying the restless energy of a country in flux. Speaking of her relationship with her subjects in a recent interview, the Beijing-based photographer – who was named one of the rising stars of Chinese photography by Ai Weiwei – explains, “By shooting them, I understood their life better and it made my own world bigger and wider. We might have different values and world views, but what we have in common are a fragility and braveness inside of us. We face the world with our sincerity.”
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Berlin-based fine art photographer Hannes Caspar captures dreamy portraits of women in subtle light. Favoring soft shadow and dappled light, Caspar’s ‘Nudes’series depict women’s bodies in various positions – from the comfortable to the contorted – capturing an intimate array of expressions, personalities and emotions. Speaking of the inspiration behind his photographs, Caspar states, “At the center of my work is the human form. What fascinates me is making the aura of a person visible with just a few means. Often the small details tell the story.”
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To see our recap from 2015 click here.
