Kacper Kowalski

Polish photographer Kacper Kowalski (b. 1977) lives and works in Gdynia. His unique photographs are aerial pictures of natural and urban environments across Poland. After studying architecture he devoted himself entirely to flying and photography; two of his passions. As a paraglider, a pilot of small aircrafts and a gyrocoptor, Kowalski would fly into the air with an engine strapped to his back to discover the world of form, shape and pattern. From 150 meters above the ground level, the landscape he chose to see and capture on camera became abstracted.

He has received numerous awards, including the World Press Photo award (2009, 2014, 2015), the Picture of the Year International POYi award (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016), and many others. His first photography book, Side Effects, was published in early 2014, and his second photobook OVER was self-published in September 2017.  ‘OVER’ takes a slightly different turn to his previous work, as it’s guided solely by emotion. Rising in the frosty, winter air, Kowalski felt he was suspended in time and space. He describes reaching a new point of view that resulted in poetic and personal photographs, where a state of mind is communicated (beyond patterns, shapes and colours). His work feels very meditative and channels liberating themes such as perspective and interpretation.