Allendale, NJ—An award ceremony, exhibitions, Leica novelties, talks and a concert all made up the program for the Celebration of Photography 2022 at Leitz-Park in Wetzler. However, the Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2022 was at the heart of the Celebration of Photography program.
For three days in mid-October, Leitz-Park in Wetzlar was once again the venue where the passion for photography was given free rein. The winner of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2022 main award was unveiled. It was garnered by photographer Kiana Hayeri, who was born in Iran and grew up in Canada. In addition, the LOBA Newcomer Award was granted to the German photographer Valentin Goppel.
Their series, along with all the other 2022 short-listed nominees, are on display at the Ernst Leitz Museum from October 21, 2022, to January 2023.
In addition, a large exhibition of works by the French Leica photographer Claudine Dour, Between Magic and Reality, was opened at the same time at the Leica Gallery Wetzlar. The Leica Gallery Wetzlar is presenting three of her series, where the LOBA 1999 winner shares poetic images and touching stories set in gorgeous locations in Central Asia, Crimea and Siberia.
Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2022
In the 42nd edition of the internationally photography competition, the winner of the main category was Kiana Hayeri (born 1988) for her series Promises Written on Ice, Left in the Sun.
Hayeri has been living and working in Afghanistan for more than eight years. Her work focuses primarily on the oppressive living situations of women there. Moreover, they have only worsened since the Taliban’s return to power.
Valentin Goppel (born 2000) was the Newcomer chosen by the LOBA 2022 jury. In his Between the Years series, he takes a very personal approach to addressing the upheavals and experiences of his generation during the corona virus era.
The 42nd LOBA edition, with submissions made by international nominators and the final selection by a jury of experts, reiterates the importance of the competition. “At the same time, the emotional and powerful images submitted by the actively engaged photographers, reveal the state of the world with earth-shattering clarity,” announced the jury.
Celebration of Photography
The festivities began for invited guests early on the evening of October 19. It started with a concert by celebrated trumpet player Till Brönner, whose Leica photography has also caused a sensation.
Another highlight of the Celebration of Photography was a presentation by Dr. Andreas Kaufmann. Dr. Kaufmann is majority shareholder and chairman of the supervisory board of Leica Camera AG. He highlighted the latest Leica novelties. In particular was the new Leica M6, which is inspired by the legendary analog rangefinder camera. To complement the M6, a new edition of the Summilux-M 35 f/1.4 Classic line was also presented. The new limited-edition Leica SL2-S Reporter was also in the spotlight.
In addition, the Leica Picture of the Year 2022 was unveiled at the event. Magnum photographer Thomas Hoepker captured the iconic motif during his famous U.S. road trip of 1963. Leica honored the German photographer in 2016 with the Leica Hall of Fame Award for his life’s work.
A limited edition of the Leica Picture of the Year 2022 will be available for purchase. It will be sold exclusively at Leica Galleries around the world.
