Fine Art nominee

We believe the main characters are the clouds. In shades they bring dynamics of life into a seemingly immobile landscape. And yet, it turns out that it is not the landscapes themselves that bind these images together.The cycle opens with a photo where we can see from a distance a man with a child in his arms. They come towards the viewer from the darkness which is illuminated by only a few points. When we see the man again, his back is facing us as he follows along road, the end of which is lost around the curve. Assume he has chosen the right direction. Next picture we can see the sun breaking from clouds, illuminating everything with clear, long rays - like a child's drawing. Cycle is closing: man holding child, they are close that we can see their faces. We do not have to strain our eyes, all is clear and at our fingertips. Peace coming from the images, which source is in these figures, not in a static landscape. The road emerges from the shadows, leading to the light. The circle is now closed, we no longer see a man and a child but we follow together.

Magda Varda is a photographer born in Warsaw, Poland. She earned her Master's degree in Political Science/International Relations at the Warsaw University in 2005 and then studied classical music [violin] in New York City where she also completed several professional photography courses. In 2008, she relocated to Paris where she obtained a Master's degree in Professional Photography. Magda returned to NYC, where she worked for the next two years, finally settling down in Paris, France, because as she says – her home is the Old Continent, with its history and its soul. "In my work I attempt to move away from the direct representation of the world and its subjects, to illicit deeper, sometimes hidden emotions by capturing body language, surface texture, the sublime quality of light and the unspoken language of space between objects. Rather than telling, I'm trying to capture the story that is already there. I shoot in black and white because this is how I 'see' things."