Press Review of Exhibition
19th January 2010
By Staff reporter, Donegal Democrat newspaper
Venue: An Grianán Theatre, Letterkenny
Exhibition: Travel photography by Andrew Horsman
To When: Until 30th January
Reviewer: Marcel Otten
The only way to experience the world is to travel at a slow pace. That is what Andrew Horsman must have thought when he set off from England for an eleven months journey all the way down to Australia without flying. Means of transport: from rickshaw to motorbike, from pony to elephant, from canoe to container ship and everything in between.
From Norway to the Arctic Circle, from Russia to the Gobi Desert, China, Tibet, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia down to Singapore where he took the boat to Australia to spend eight weeks in the Outback. Dodging bureaucracy, being smelly for days on end, enjoying hospitality, enduring hardships, and seeing the most beautiful sights on earth (in St. Petersburg he bumped into the love of his life, a Donegal girl from Milford).
In China he met a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, who introduced him to the sacred inner circle of the monasteries in Tibet, for Andrew a unique chance to experience the rituals of the monks at close quarters. In Mongolia he suddenly found himself in the middle of a Russian film set shooting a movie about Genghis Khan with warriors in full armour firing blanks at him.
You can read all about it in the extensive blogs he wrote (some 50.000 words!) which earned him a recommendation by the Lonely Planet Guide. His travels amassed thousands of photos, a selection of which can be seen at the exhibition space in the An Grianán Theatre.
Andrew has already won awards for his travel photography from the Daily Telegraph and the Guardian - no wonder when you are confronted with his lively pictures which, at times, draw a smile. Andrew has an optimistic view of the world that surrounds him. For instance, his picture of a giant Chinese man grinning from ear to ear, sitting on an impossibly wee stool with a little kitten playing at his feet, no bigger than his thumb, simply makes you laugh.
The photos of the monasteries evoke a sense of mystery: the viewer is allowed a glimpse into centuries old customs which rarely have been recorded. Whether it is people, buildings or landscapes Andrew certainly has what photographers call 'the eye': an excellent feel for composition, a subtle handling of light, even under difficult circumstances, and a great skill in handling colour or black/white.
All this is amazing, considering the fact that Andrew is still honing his skills: he is currently studying for a Masters in Fine Arts degree in Photography at the University of Ulster. No doubt we will hear (eh... see) more of him.
Marcel Otten is a playwright, translator and proprietor of photo-gallery Man-made Images, Mountcharles.
Venue: An Grianán Theatre, Letterkenny
Exhibition: Travel photography by Andrew Horsman
To When: Until 30th January
Reviewer: Marcel Otten
The only way to experience the world is to travel at a slow pace. That is what Andrew Horsman must have thought when he set off from England for an eleven months journey all the way down to Australia without flying. Means of transport: from rickshaw to motorbike, from pony to elephant, from canoe to container ship and everything in between.
From Norway to the Arctic Circle, from Russia to the Gobi Desert, China, Tibet, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia down to Singapore where he took the boat to Australia to spend eight weeks in the Outback. Dodging bureaucracy, being smelly for days on end, enjoying hospitality, enduring hardships, and seeing the most beautiful sights on earth (in St. Petersburg he bumped into the love of his life, a Donegal girl from Milford).
In China he met a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, who introduced him to the sacred inner circle of the monasteries in Tibet, for Andrew a unique chance to experience the rituals of the monks at close quarters. In Mongolia he suddenly found himself in the middle of a Russian film set shooting a movie about Genghis Khan with warriors in full armour firing blanks at him.
You can read all about it in the extensive blogs he wrote (some 50.000 words!) which earned him a recommendation by the Lonely Planet Guide. His travels amassed thousands of photos, a selection of which can be seen at the exhibition space in the An Grianán Theatre.
Andrew has already won awards for his travel photography from the Daily Telegraph and the Guardian - no wonder when you are confronted with his lively pictures which, at times, draw a smile. Andrew has an optimistic view of the world that surrounds him. For instance, his picture of a giant Chinese man grinning from ear to ear, sitting on an impossibly wee stool with a little kitten playing at his feet, no bigger than his thumb, simply makes you laugh.
The photos of the monasteries evoke a sense of mystery: the viewer is allowed a glimpse into centuries old customs which rarely have been recorded. Whether it is people, buildings or landscapes Andrew certainly has what photographers call 'the eye': an excellent feel for composition, a subtle handling of light, even under difficult circumstances, and a great skill in handling colour or black/white.
All this is amazing, considering the fact that Andrew is still honing his skills: he is currently studying for a Masters in Fine Arts degree in Photography at the University of Ulster. No doubt we will hear (eh... see) more of him.
Marcel Otten is a playwright, translator and proprietor of photo-gallery Man-made Images, Mountcharles.
