Sometimes you have to listen to an artist to really understand the true meaning behind their work. Sometimes. I’ve always been satisfied with looking at the work of a photographer or artist and coming to my own conclusions about their statement. But on a rare occasion, when you listen to an artist talk about their work and the meaning behind it, it really fulfils the intention and moment of the piece or series. I was reminded of this during a trip to Berlin to attend the prestigious Leica Oskar Barnak Awards and Exhibition last October.
With the photography world saturated by ‘people with cameras’ and fueled by social media bots, it was refreshing to discover that I was stood in a room full of real artists, surrounded by images that were not just willingly taken with a Leica camera, but with heart and spirit. And you could FEEL it. It was that simple. You could feel it.
I learnt a long time ago that true artists don’t concern themselves with what others are doing because they’re too focused on their own creating. Being individual and realising your own vision overrides everything else. If your focus is more on who is doing what, then you’re probably not at the stage of ‘artist’.
The body of work in the room was so much more empowering than a bunch of Instagram posts with millions of likes and unquestionably inspiring – an entirely overused word, but certainly relevant here. It would also be honest for me to say that attending these awards had a profound effect on me as a photographer and as an editor. It reminded me why I do what I do and that we must never compromise. Look at how good an artist each person is, their integrity, their authenticity – those are the elements that matter, not how many likes somebody has on Instagram or how good you are at manufacturing an aesthetically pleasing profile. You should be far too busy for that.
Belgian photographer Max Pinckers won the Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2018 and Russian photographer Mary Gelman won the Newcomer Award 2018 – a selection of each series is featured here. The Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2019 is now open for submissions.
Visit: www.leica-oskar-barnack-award.com
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Words by Ian Cole, Editor-in-Chief
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Photography by Max Pinckers – Winner: Oskar Barnack Award 2018 -
Photography by Max Pinckers – Winner: Oskar Barnack Award 2018 -
Photography by Max Pinckers – Winner: Oskar Barnack Award 2018 -
Photography by Max Pinckers – Winner: Oskar Barnack Award 2018 -
Photography by Max Pinckers – Winner: Oskar Barnack Award 2018 -
Photography by Max Pinckers – Winner: Oskar Barnack Award 2018
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Photography by Mary Gelman – Winner: Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award 2018 –Lisa, a volunteer, with a donkey on a walk. She has been at Svetlana Village for nearly two years. She worked in the bakery, took care of the donkey and now is working on the farm. Young people from different countries often come to live and work in the village. -
Photography by Mary Gelman – Winner: Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award 2018 –Vasya is working on farm. What’s special about him is that he often asks question to which he knows the answers. In his spare time, he likes to listen to Pink Floyd and Queen and cut out pictures from magazines making collages to decorate his desk. -
Photography by Mary Gelman – Winner: Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award 2018 –Vika is an adopted daughter of one of Svetlana’s workers, Sarah Hagnauer, an English woman, and her husband Boris. Vika has Down syndrome, she does not speak much but expresses herself with sounds and so-called ways of alternative communication, for example, with the help of gestures. Curious and open, she can unexpectedly appear anywhere in the village, she is very attentive and takes part in everything that interests her. Problems with speech do not interfere with communication. -
Photography by Mary Gelman – Winner: Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award 2018 –Julia has been living in the village for 10 years. She often tells stories about her relationships with another villager, though it’s only her imagination. -
Photography by Mary Gelman – Winner: Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award 2018 –Minya’s birthday. He is 50 and He regularly writes letters, where he imagines himself deputy director of the village. Villagers of «Svetlana» resembles one big family. They all came to celebrate his anniversary. -
Photography by Mary Gelman – Winner: Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award 2018 –Amir came to the village with his parents. They loved him very much but did not understand how life would be built after Amir’s coming of age. They wanted his life to be filled with a sense of his own worth, and they were afraid that it would be impossible. Amir himself felt that it was frightening to become independent. But he stayed in Svetlana where he got that independence. There he learned a lot and got skills for handmade. The villagers adore Amir for his inner strength, independence and his kind heart. -
Photography by Mary Gelman – Winner: Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award 2018 –Tatiana and Minya are residents with Down syndrome. They met in the village and fell in love. They call each other husband and wife. -
Photography by Mary Gelman – Winner: Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award 2018 –Villagers of the camphill are of different religious affiliation. Some residents often visit this chapel. -
Photography by Mary Gelman – Winner: Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award 2018 –Raia is living in Svetlana for three years, she came from Sevastopol. There she visited the center of social support for people with disabilities, but could hardly feel necessary to the society. Employees say, when Raia arrived — she did not seem to have her own face. Now she is a beautiful young woman who can keep thoughts and share them with others. She likes to joke and at the same time she is embarrassed by any gesture from unfamiliar people.
Exhibition and awards photography by Ian Cole using Leica CL
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Ph: Ian Cole