arts in education program sri lanka

I left to sri lanka in early january to teach classes in photography at the owf one world foundation, as part of an arts in education program, initiated by the vienna based foundation paint for life. 23 students as well as 2 teachers are enrolled in the program. this is my third year at the school and I am still amazed to see how engaged the students are, exploring a creative environment and taking in as much as they can. the photography workshop lasts for about seven weeks, a selection of photos will be presented to the public on february 22nd at the school compound. click here to read in detail about the progress of the course.

(c) thakshila dilrukshi

tanz die toleranz

tanz die toleranz, an annual community dance project by caritas wien, is again taking place at palais kabelwerk. 70 children and adults with various backgrounds, some of them with mental or physical disabilities, dance to pictures at an exhibition by modest mussorgsky. the project challenges common prejudices and demonstrates that people can live together if they can dance together. I have the opportunity to document the process of work, tanz die toleranz is carried out by caritas wien.

palais kabelwerk
oswaldgasse 35a
1120 vienna
austria
premiere december 2, 2011 8 pm (through december 4)

caritas wien

caritas wien asked me to document daily life and needs of elderly people in retirement homes run by casa, a local charitable organisation. I visited in total four different facilities and it has been a moving experience to be and work within such a secluded environment. the photos are needed for new print publications, a larger selection will be up soon.

digsy shambles

the online magazine digsy shambles recently interviewed me about my artistic work as a free-lance photographer. I like to thank elodie broussard for proposing and running the interview. click here for the version in french. enjoy :)

impulstanz 2011

the annual impulstanz dance festival took place in vienna and it felt impossible not to be part of it. I photographed recent works of lalala human steps (new work by édouard lock), akram khan company (vertical road), ko murobushi (krypt blues, together with dorothée munyaneza, j-f pauvros, alain mahé) and emio greco | pieter scholten (rocco in two). please click on the company name for direct access to the gallery.

420people

I met with vaclav kunes, the founder of the czech dance company 420people and we decided to collaborate on current productions. a first selection of work will be shown to the public on september 5 at the national theatre in prague. the exhibition is generously supported by the austrian cultural forum. many thanks to veronika dospélova' and marcela straková for making two ends meet.

national theatre | new stage

národní 4 

praha 1

czech republic

opening september 5, 2011 6 pm (through september 30)


liebe beginnt mit dir

liebe beginnt mit dir is a charity campaign by caritas wien to raise money and awareness for underdeveloped countries in africa. we asked people in the media and the arts to wear t-shirts with the word love printed in 4o different languages and think about the meaning of love their own way... this has been an exciting experience. love is in the air!

life ball

I just uploaded a few new images of the annual life ball in vienna, one of the largest charity events for hiv research. the theme was on angels and creatures alike - enjoy the selection ;-)

haus amadou

I am very pleased to present the image for a small fund raising campaign supporting the haus amadou in vienna. the building belongs to caritas wien and provides shelter to asylum seekers with an unclear immigration status and threatened to be sent back to their country of origin - without prior notice. most residents live in vienna for years and have children attending local kindergarten and public schools. I sincerely hope my contribution helps to ease the difficulties these people face.

superar

superar is an initiative by caritas wien with the aim to promote singing and dancing in primary schools in vienna. my task is to document classes and upcoming performances with the kids. as part of my curriculum I took photos at the new office area of superar, a few months ahead of the opening. monica delgadillo aguilar, a beautiful dancer and choreographer, joined me for this occasion.

tanec praha

the annual tanec praha dance festival invited me to present a selection of photos taken of the akram khan company and the most recent creation vertical road. the exhibition opens june 6, 2011. don't miss it if you're around!

ponec theatre
husitská 24a
praha 3
czech republic
opening june 6, 2011 7 pm (through june 31)

vidya samadhi piriwena temple

I was given permission to portrait residents at vidya samadhi piriwena temple, about an hour drive from the one world foundation. it was a memorable experience to be with the monks, most of them of young age, and to feel embraced by warmth and kindness. I asked the clergy during the shoot to close their eyes and find a state of tranquility. rarely have I seen so many stories unfold in front of my eyes.

owf photography group exhibition

I am very pleased to announce an upcoming group exhibition of my students at the one world foundation in ahungalla, sri lanka. join the crowd if you are anywhere nearby!

#162/15 wathuregama
ahungalla
sri lanka
opening february 18, 2011 10 am

photo (c) satya mendis

sri lanka residency

sri lanka is home for another artist in residency. I teach photography at the owf one world foundation, a free education unit in ahungalla, south of colombo. my students have a basic knowledge in graphic design and together we develop and carry out small photo assignments. it's a fulfilling experience to collaborate with them and to approach common goals, to learn about each other during the process of work. the residency is financed by paint for life in collaboration with the one world foundation. click here for more details about the school.

2011

anything can be a starting place. begin where you are. look with all your eyes, look (jules verne). happy new year 2011...

the latest jooloomooloos

new jooloomooloos came to town! we took the chance and photographed the latest collection. jonas, milli, neha and viyana were such professional models... amazing!

sadler's wells

the festspielhaus st. poelten recently presented works of four different choreographers in cooperation with sadler's wells in london. I uploaded a small selection of two of the pieces, after light part one by russell maliphant and faun by sidi larbi cherkaoui.

anna tenta

anna tenta is a vienna based artist, her work comprises of contemporary dance, choreography and film. we became friends back in the 90s when I was enrolled as a dance student and anna a passionate performer on the international stage. about 15 years later we took photos for an upcoming film production and explored all kinds of places off the beaten track ...

tanz die toleranz 2010

the community dance project tanz die toleranz is again taking place in november 2010. in total 60 children and adults with various backgrounds, some of them with mental or physical disabilities, perform at the palais kabelwerk. the project challenges common prejudices and demonstrates that people can live together if they can dance together. tanz die toleranz is carried out by caritas wien and I'm thrilled to document the process of work.

palais kabelwerk
oswaldgasse 35a
1120 vienna
austria
premiere november 26, 2010 8 pm (through november 28, 6 pm)

chromolab2.0 im salonXV: DuBistSchön!

I am participating for the first time at the annual monat der fotografie, together with the lighting artist victoria coeln. the event is titled salon XV. and initiated by fotok in vienna. in total 75 artists exhibit recent works at various locations, click here for site or work specific directions. don't miss it ;-)

werkstatt farbengeschaeft hatzl
reindorfgasse 31
1150 vienna
austria
opening november 4, 2010 7.30 pm (through november 14)
open daily 5 - 8 pm

vertical road

akram khan presented his latest creation vertical road at the curve theatre in leicester, uk on september 15, 2010. I stayed with akram and the company the days ahead of the premiere and documented the final rehearsals on stage.

art matters

the donau universitaet krems invited me to the group exhibition art matters. artists who previously exhibited work at the campus as well as artists in residency showcase some of their work. the opening takes place october 7, 2010 at 12 pm. a music concert is scheduled the day after in the audimax (lecture hall). click at the heather for more information!

donau universitaet krems
dr. karl dorrek strasse 30
3500 krems
austria

engel der verzweiflung

I photographed the latest production of joachim schloemer at the fest- spielhaus st. poelten, austria. engel der verzweiflung is based on a painting of the same title by paul klee with text fragments by walter benjamin and heiner mueller. the work of schloemer deals with the incorrigibility of human offenses and uses the image of an angel, equally unable to salvage the past as to look into the future.

festspielhaus st. poelten
kulturbezirk 2,
3100 st. poelten
austria
performances september 25 and 30, 2010 7.30 pm

outstanding 10

the community project life on earth receives an outstanding artistic award | interkultureller dialog 2010 by the austrian federal ministry for education, arts and culture (bm:ukk). I documented the project as a photographer, the award ceremony takes place on october 1, 2010 at the radiokulturhaus vienna. this link provides more details.

aliu olatunju

aliu olatunju, a contemporary dancer from lagos, nigeria, is currently an artist in residency at the donau universitaet krems, austria. we recently took portrait and dance photos for a calendar project, scheduled for 2011. I experienced aliu as a blessed story-teller crossing any boundary with his presence and kind spirit.

life ball 2010

the annual life ball as the worlds largest fund raising event for hiv research just took place at the vienna city hall. most of the opening ceremony and the fashion show had to be canceled because of stormy weather. however, there are some new photos in the documentary section. enjoy ;-)