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“It almost never snows here,” the waiter had said on a cold winter evening. By morning, to the surprise of even the locals, Venice was covered by a thick layer of snow, transforming the city into an urban landscape shrouded in white and adding an even greater dazzling and poetic look to the enchanting city.
This series shows a Venice that is rarely seen. Contrary to the bustling and crowded days of summer, the photo essay captures nearly deserted streets, white with snow, and with only a handful of locals.
Just as the snowflakes never stopped falling that day, neither did the pulse of the city stop beating. Life went on, and the locals continued to go about their lives even in the midst of a snowy, winter day.
With the arrival of autumn, shadows lengthen, the first frost appears, and the wind gathers strength, tossing leaves to and fro with gusty energy. The leaves scatter, revealing their differences. Each leaf is sent off on its own path, bitten by the early morning frost, isolated and detached. These unique leaves stand prominently in the forefront, in sharp contrast with the vegetation just below. They are an anomaly in these kinds of spaces. Using leaves as a metaphor for individuality, this series dares the viewer to stand out in a crowd and to be different.
Every winter, in the Nordic lands, harsh conditions and extreme temperatures reveal the true power of nature. From the first snowfall, the great outdoors instantly become quieter. And then comes the deafening silence as this frozen land at the end of the world falls into a deep slumber. This tranquil and minimalist landscape offers a look at beauty in its purest form, and, in its stillness, presents the opportunity to forge a deeper connection with the natural world and to find peace at last.
To some, my hometown of Bergen, Norway might seem like a grey and lonely place. Solitary figures transit the urban environment, their shadows elongated by low-angled light at those moments when sun breaks through the clouds.
I set out to capture this subdued atmospheric essence in photographs by wandering the streets alone. What came forth were images of solitary figures in an urban setting, for they represented my own personal plight as I ventured forth to find my place in this familiar city. I would wander the streets alone, almost as if I was searching for something I couldn't quite define. The more images I accumulated, the more I would reflect on their meanings, realizing at a point that loneliness doesn't need to be negative, and that being by one's self presents opportunities for introspection and insight that can be achieved in no other way.
Spending time with my own personal thoughts and feelings actually added beauty to my life, and through this body of work, I gradually reawakened to the alluring side of the streets that has that peaceful calmness and aesthetic within it.
Few places can be compared to Venice. I keep returning to this magical place year after year, where I enjoy getting lost among the old dilapidated buildings, discovering new misty alleyways while breathing in the moist air of the Venetian canals. This is where my soul can breathe and the banality of everyday life passes into oblivion.
In Venice you have to embrace the moment as if you were part of the city. This place has a distinctive aura and ambiance. There are other cities with similar details but none is as unique as Venice. No city fascinates as Venice does.
The photo series “Lost in Spain” came to life during my time in Spain.
I like to use light and shadow to construct visual space and to introduce images of solitary figures – anonymous and alone. My subjects often seem all alone as they embark on their own personal journal but some of the images revealing the enclosure of a state of mind, the feeling of being entrapped. Serving as the backdrop to these solitary figures, the worlds around them are carefully constructed, idealistic even, as if the worlds that they occupy are more of a dreamscape of idealism.
The series is a study of life and the human condition. It echoes our own experiences as life is so social and interactive, but at the same time we all have those moments of feeling isolated and alone.
The inspiration and the content for the series came from my own personal journey when I moved to Spain. The photographs capture Altea in the low season, a sleepy seaside town in the Costa Blanca area, that I called home for 3 years. After 10 years of living in Norway where light and people are scarce, my early images of Spain portray a mesmerization with my new life, an obsession with the Spanish architecture, the deep blue of the sky and the sea. I feasted on Spain’s beauty and wanted to capture the brilliance in my photographs.
Hometown series features images from my Nordic hometown, Bergen. The town is well-known more for wet and inclement weather rather than anything else, raining 275 days per year on average. The dominant color is grey, not always in a romantic sense, and certainly thousands of shades away from the serene warmth and softness often associated with Mediterranean living.
But there's something poetic about this place, maybe because of its never-ending fall or its pretty harbor with the collection of charming wooden houses. Or maybe because its cozy little cafés, which reminds me of Paris…It’s hard to define but whenever I leave Bergen, I miss her and can't wait to get back.
Experiencing this fair city through the lens of my camera, I am thrilled to capture the rhythm and allure of its streets, the subtleties of light, shade and shadow that infuse the environment with a unique charm and appeal.
I am constantly in search of beauty and meaning in the world around me. For my latest project, "Harmony," I explore the many facets of this powerful concept. Through my lens, I invite viewers to slow down and take notice of the intricate patterns and textures of the natural world, and to appreciate the ways in which art can enhance and amplify these wonders. At the heart of "Harmony" is a deep appreciation for the power of nature to uplift and inspire us, and to remind us of the joy and wonder that can be found in even the simplest of things. In a world so filled with discord and conflict, I want to highlight the beauty of unity and harmony that exists in all corners and in all aspects of life.
Copyright © Ragnar B. Varga 2017