“You are an eminence of Latvia’s culture and art, a master of Latvian photography and the founder of the highest standards of artistic photography, whose name and work have been engraved in the history of our state. You have always focused on the versatility of man. In your photographs, you have created a world of your own, where colours transform into emotionally rich tones of black and white, where light is recorded on paper – made of characters, symbols and love. Your work is an enduring value in Latvia’s art photography and within people’s hearts and minds!” – the Certificate of Merit cites.
An Officer of the Order of Three Stars, photographer Gunārs Binde was born on 27 December 1933. Gunārs Binde was the first to achieve international recognition after World War II, allowing Latvia to speak of photography again as a medium of artistic expression. His status as a master of photography is equally unequivocal, as are his works, which have become an integral part of the history of art photography. Gunārs Binde is justifiably recognised as the pioneer of Latvian art photography, whose tireless and passionate work has created an image of Latvian photography for the world to see. In his photographs, Gunārs Binde creates a world of his own – from nude and clothed female and male bodies, from inspired emotions and provocations, from fables, analogies and instructions, from allegories, symbols and love. Gunārs Binde constructs a black-and-white universe of his liking with an unwavering honesty to himself, and presents it as a very simple and direct mirror-image of notions, ideas and inspiration.
Through participating in exhibitions outside Latvia, Gunārs Binde has tested his skills at an international level. He attained the highest point of recognition – a gold medal – in Argentina in 1966 for his work “Portrait of Eduards Smiļģis”. This has been followed by many achievements at notable international exhibitions.
