National Geographic Photo Exhibition at Domina Shopping Centre

"Nature enters the shopping centre" - that is how one might describe the "National Geographic" magazine photo exhibition "NG Icons" at the Domina shopping centre. In total, the exhibition, which has taken up residence in Domina's corridor, presents 50 of the finest photographs. Also on view is Steve McCurry's 1984 photograph "Afghan Girl". For me personally, there was a certain fascination in seeing Jim Brandenburg's 1986 "White Wolf Leaping" in person.

Illustration from christies.com

It is worth noting that National Geographic photographs are special in that a large proportion of them were taken using film cameras and very often without telephoto lenses, to say nothing of retouching or Adobe Photoshop effects, which are not permitted at all. On view are photographs by the world-famous news photo agency Magnum Photos, as well as works by lesser-known photographers.

At the exhibition I did not notice any works by photographers of Latvian origin, nor any subjects connected with Latvia or its immediate surroundings. Many photographs were taken in Somalia, Afghanistan, and other southern or eastern countries, where the fauna and flora visible in the photographs can surprise a northern visitor with their wildness and unusualness, yet at the same time with their vividness and richness of colour. Although the number of works on display was comparatively large, I could not discern any systematic arrangement. The photographs are accompanied by a rather laconic description giving only the author and the title. Information about the exhibited works, the authors, and the year is not to be found on the National Geographic Latvia website either.

The exhibition is on until 10 March!

The magazine "National Geographic" in Latvian has been published since 26 September 2012; in Lithuania since 2009; and in Estonia since 2011.

Updated 4 March 2013.

From 4–18 March, the exhibition "My Amazing Latvia" can be seen at SC Spice, featuring 26 of the works submitted to the competition. You are warmly invited!