Description
In the autumn of 1989, everything changed. The various regimes of the communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe began to collapse in Budapest, Berlin, Warsaw, Prague, Sofia and Bucharest in a domino effect that continued in Albania and ended two years later in the Soviet Union. Ponzio continued his travels across an immense territory with a Leica, three Nikons and 100 rolls of film, in search of the people of the East, documenting the old energy that had been fortified through pain and sacrifice, now joined by a new energy, full of hope.
Year after year, Ponzio returned to capture the many faces and stark differences of the other Europe, in search of the elements that make up the shared destiny of the peoples of Eastern Europe. Collected here are his stunning portraits of their traditions and faith, humility and courage, vulnerability and survival.
An extraordinary body of photography capturing the poignancy and universality of everyday lives in Central and Eastern Europe before and after the fall of the Berlin wall, with a foreword by Nobel Prize recipient Herta Muller
About the Author
Fabio Ponzio was born in Milan in 1959. His interest in photography began in 1976, during a trip to the Balkans. Europe, travel and photography have formed the three main threads of his life in the decades since. In 1991, he was awarded the European Kodak Prize at Arles; in 1993, the Mother Jones Foundation Award for Documentary Photography; and in 1998, the Leica Oskar Barnack Award in Germany.
Reviews
'An odyssey around remote parts of central and eastern Europe' - Observer
'[In these photographs] elegance frames a respect for seeing time pass - the stillness, the waiting - hoping to be filled with the promise of an unknown future' - Susan Meiselas
'Filled with a vibrant, timeless energy ... an expansive documentation of turbulent times, yet sprinkled throughout are moments of joy and pleasure' - Aperture
Book Information
ISBN 9780500545201
Author Fabio Ponzio
Format Hardback
Page Count 160
Imprint Thames & Hudson Ltd
Publisher Thames & Hudson Ltd
Weight(grams) 1080g