Slovenian photographer Matjaž Krivic, twice awarded the prestigious Royal Geographic Society Photographer of the Year, specializes in the personality and grandeur of indigenous people and places on his global travels. His recent exhibition of panoramic pictures, Earth Temples, captured remote people and places like Tibet, China, Yemen, Morocco, Myanmar, Jordan, Mali, Chile, Bolivia and Mongolia. The first exhibition of the large format panoramic photographs (250 x 125 cm) took place in Ljubljana's Tivoli Park, where Simon Pukl produced a virtual tour with nine VRs and hotspot links to 51 of Krivic’s panoramic prints.
Bagan, Myanmar
A recognized master of emotionally charged portrait and nomadic landscape photography, Krivic’s work is stark and haunting. He has stated that he believes the love of global paradise is the highest emotional and esthetic virtue, and this is reflected in the beauty he chooses to portray in his work.
Yamdrok Tso, Tibet - China
Krivic, who first discovered the attractions of travelling at age 16 and has since travelled the world with his camera, became a professional photographer eight years ago and says he has portrayed mostly poor parts of the world characterized by traditions, social unrest and religious devotion, “simply because I was interested and attracted to it”.
Masai Mara, Kenya
He’s more expansive on his website, where he notes one special trait shared by cultures all over the world. “People seem to have a need for and attraction to a special place of worship and meditation, be it a church, a mountain, a river, or simply a rock stuck in the ground. It seems to me that these special places are venues of one of the most positive activities of man: the veneration and celebration of life. A common feature of these locations is the ambiance radiating from them, the reverence of its worshippers being passed on to new visitors. My aim here is to capture this feeling of gratitude and adoration for life on earth, and to share ti with those who see these photographs.”
Jelovica, Slovenia
Krivic got into large format panoramic photos after winning his first Royal Geographical Society award in 2002 for a portrait shot in Mali. “The prize was a Hasselblad X Pan camera, which I actually really wanted to have,” he says. “After I got it, it didn’t take me very long to get used to it and use it well.” Most of his Earth Temple photos were shot after May 2002 with his Hasselblad.
Earth Temple Exhibit in Ljubljana, Slovenia
Asked to describe his photographic ‘technique’ and how he uses technology within his work, he responds: “I really like low light conditions, early mornings, late evenings, even nights with or without the moon, which means I use a tripod a lot for all these long exposures. Until the beginning of this year I’ve only shot film (mostly Fuji Velvia) and in January I bought my first digital camera, a Canon 5D.”
Matjaz KrivicOne wonders, after all his travels, if there’s a place particularly close to his heart? “There are three places I really like a lot,” he replies. “First one is Tibet, where I myself feel very good and happy, plus it’s great place for photography, then there are Mali and Yemen, both a photography paradise - people, landscape, culture wise.”
On one memorable trip Krivic and a journalist were doing a story on an eco camp in Masai Mara and went on an eco walking safari. “While shooting a warthog I got hit by its tusks, once in my leg and once into my Nikon F4. Nikon was fine, but me, I was not walking for a week!”
Now that his Earth Temples exhibit has wound up in Slovenia, it’s going on the road, with plans in the works to show in Oslo, Melbourne, New York, Moscow and Beijing.
Visit Simon Pukl’s virtual tour of the Earth Temples exhibit, held in a park in Ljubljana, Slovenia, where you can view the layout of the exhibit held in Slovenia and click on each of the installations for a close up of the panoramic photo.
Visit Matjaž Krivic Earth Temples website and Matjaž Krivic's personal website.
