Matjaz Krivic: Urbanistan

Matjaz Krivic: Urbanistan by Aline SmithsonOctober 14, 2015

UrbaniStan As soon as you hear the word Urbanistan your imagination is whisked off into the traffic mayhem of Calcutta, the tawdriness of the neon sex nightlife in Bangkok, the unbelievable structuralised yet frenzied Tokyo, the suffocating and dusty streets of the (hardly) living body of the decaying Cairo, the roundabout of the hedonistic and aggressive Rio, the unstoppable narcissistic Manhattan, the global supermarket of turbo consumerism. However, Matjaž Krivic's Urbanistan is a miraculous anti-thesis to all this. It is a story from the other side – a story of the quiet loudness on the margins of total existential, religious, economic and geopolitical chaos. A story that speaks of the indestructible spirit and the eternal search of inspiration that enables survival. It is a story of individuals and social groups who, putting aside the racket and general urban angst, keep searching for the core of existence in a different space and a different time. It is a story of survival through play, prayer, tradition, rituals, travels, socialising and especially, a special light, that the author of the exhibition sees and records so well. Urbanistan is a space that allows you to take a breather from the city. Any city. www.urbanistan.net

©Matjaz Krivic

Matjaz Krivic’s project, Urbanistan, is a global melange of moments, often the in-between times of contemplation, reflection, or simply, rest. Matjaz himself is not resting, moving through cultures and communities looking for something that connects us–work, play, prayer, food and family.

Matjaz is a globe-trotting photographer specializing in capturing the personality and grandeur of indigenous people and places. For 17 years, he has covered the face of the earth in his intense, personal and aesthetically moving style that has won him several prestigious awards. He has made the road his home and most of the time you can find him traveling with his camera somewhere between Sahara and Himalaya.

©Matjaz Krivic

Urbanistan: The story of a quiet loudness

As soon as you hear the word Urbanistan your imagination is whisked off into the traffic mayhem of Calcutta, the tawdriness of the neon sex nightlife in Bangkok, the unbelievable structuralized yet frenzied Tokyo, the suffocating and dusty streets of the (hardly) living body of the decaying Cairo, the roundabout of the hedonistic and aggressive Rio, the unstoppable narcissistic Manhattan, the global supermarket of turbo-consumerism.

However, Matjaž Krivic’s Urbanistan is a miraculous antithesis to all this. It is a story from the other side – a story of the quiet loudness on the margins of total existential, religious, economic and geopolitical chaos. A story that speaks of the indestructible spirit and the eternal search of inspiration that enables survival. It is a story of individuals and social groups who, putting aside the racket and general urban angst, keep searching for the core of existence in a different space and a different time. It is a story of survival through play, prayer, tradition, rituals, travels, socializing and especially, a special light, that the author of the exhibition sees and records so well.

Urbanistan is a space that allows you to take a breather from the city. Any city.–Bostjan Videmsek