A selection of Jimmy Nelson’s most sublime photographs highlighting the beauty of Indigenous peoples around the world

The spectacular shots of the award-winning photographer discovering the beauty of humanity.

Jimmy Nelson: Humanity is about the renowned photographer Jimmy Nelson's personal and artistic journey across the world, an expedient to take people across a deeper journey of reflection on their own identity as part of the universal family of humans. His travels are similar to field expeditions, with lots of preparation and contingencies to take into account. They can last weeks, if not months. For Jimmy Nelson, traveling is part of his artistic process, epitomizing a resolute search into what it means to be human, deeply, at the core of our shared origins from one same source in the African continent. In the process, he has reconnected with his own deeper self and has realized that humanity is all one.

In Jimmy Nelson: Humanity, the photographer is passionate to share why he is obsessively searching for a form of art that can embrace what he experiences in the field, when he finds alignment with the people, nature, light; a sense of balance that creates a symphony of experiences that analogue photography, in the form of the giant 10x8 negatives, gets close to express and that allows him to funnel all the emotions that he wants to record visually, in just one instant.

Through his spectacular shots, Jimmy Nelson's journey becomes our journey and indigenous peoples, normally photographed as an ethnographic subject, become the protagonists of a story of "unadulterated beauty" that empowers the beholders to perceive all humanity.

About the Author:

Jimmy Nelson (1967) started working as a photographer in 1987. After his journey in Tibet, his unique visual diary, featuring revealing images of a previously inaccessible Tibet, was published to wide international acclaim. Soon after, he was commissioned to cover a variety of culturally newsworthy themes for many of the world leading publications ranging from the Russian involvement in Afghanistan and the ongoing strife between India and Pakistan in Kashmir to the beginning of the war in former Yugoslavia. In early 1994, he and his Dutch wife Ashkaine produced Literary Portraits of China, a 40-month project that took them to all the hidden corners of the newly opening People's Republic. His latest works, Before They Pass Away and Homage to Humanity, have established the photographer internationally.

Photographer Jimmy Nelson has travelled the world with his camera, visiting some of its most remote and ancient cultures: the resulting images will uplift us individually, unite us spiritually and help motivate us to save our humanity.

The new global language is not Chinese, English or Spanish.  Jimmy Nelson believes it is the visual language of photography. His travels to visit native peoples within small remote communities have become addictive.  The bright, colourful, ecstatic feeling that comes through in the resulting photographs is in sharp contrast to a world that sometimes feels emotionally beige. They demonstrate the unique beauty of all the varieties of human life for the viewers and the subjects alike. It is the story he wants to tell and share with the world.

The parallels between the biodiversity of the planet and its cultural diversity are very clear. Our ethnodiversity, our ‘ethnosphere’, must also be protected.  It is the sum total and manifestation of all the thoughts, dreams, myths, ideas, inspirations and intuitions produced by the human imagination since the dawn of consciousness. It is all that we have created through our endeavours as a wildly inquisitive and astonishingly adaptive species. In short, it is humanity’s greatest legacy. 

We all come from the same source and together we are going through an amazing period of cultural evolution. Peoples with unique cultural identities need to be truly and effectively-respected, cherished and supported, for them and for all of us If we are to do so we will all need some of the humility, vulnerability, kindness, generosity and good humour that comes through in these arresting images.

About the Authors:

In 1986, after spending a year traversing the length of Tibet by foot, Jimmy Nelson published a unique visual diary to wide international acclaim. In 1987, he was commissioned to cover a variety of culturally newsworthy themes for many of the world’s leading publications. In early 1994 he and his wife Ashkaine Hora Adema produced “Literary Portraits of China,” the result of a forty-month project that took them across the newly opening People’s Republic, and was about the indigenous cultures in China and their translated literature. From 1997, Jimmy successfully undertook commercial advertising assignments for many of the world’s leading brands. Simultaneously, he started accumulating images of the remote and unique cultures he photographed, and awards followed. In 2010, he began his journey to create the dignifying artistic document that became “Before They Pass Away”, and was published to international acclaim in October 2013. Today, Jimmy is still travelling and photographing to produce HOMAGE TO HUMANITY. He exhibits in international museums, shows his work at the world’s leading photographic art galleries, speaks at international conferences, and launched the Jimmy Nelson Foundation in October 2016. 

Donna Karan was born in Queens and raised on Long Island. She attended Parsons School of Design before beginning her career with an internship at Anne Klein, where she rose to head designer in 1974 at age twenty-five. She and her husband, Stephan Weiss, founded Donna Karan International, launching Donna Karan New York collection in 1985, DKNY in 1989, and the beauty line in 1992. 

Karan's philanthropic efforts are extensive including the Seventh on Sale benefit, the New York Kids for Kids event and since 1993 she has Co-chaired Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. In 2007, Karan established Urban Zen, a luxury lifestyle brand and foundation that addresses wellness, education, and the preservation of culture through their artisan communities. 

Mundiya Kepanga is a Papuan chief from the Tari region in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea.
Originating from a traditional tribal community, Mundiya Kepanga has a unique vision on Western society, acquired following his multiple trips across Europe and North America.

He is a seasoned speaker, regularly hosted by schools, natural history museums, scientists and assemblies devoted to indigenous people. Through his lectures, he seeks to raise awareness of the culture of his people while encouraging us to reflect upon our view of indigenous people and of ourselves.© wikipedia

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Пролистать книгу Jimmy Nelson: Homage to Humanity на сайте издательства.

This tribute to vibrant tribal cultures around the world is a must-have for any lover of documentary photography. It will resonate with readers on aesthetic, intellectual, and emotional levels — and be a keepsake for future generations
 
In his landmark project Before They Pass Away Jimmy Nelson captures the lives and traditions of the last surviving tribes who have managed to preserve their traditional ways and customs within our increasingly globalized world. The British photographer’s epic portraits present these dignified inheritors of noble and age-old traditions in a proud spirit and in all their glory — a unique visual experience. This exquisitely photographed showcase for world tribal culture is not only a joy to look at, but also an important historical record. This book reveals the wide variety of human experiences and cultural expressions across the ages — and we’re delighted to have it among our fall offerings.
 
This historic volume showcases tribal cultures around the world. With globalization, these societies are to be prized for their distinctive lifestyles, art and traditions. They live in close harmony with nature, now a rarity in our modern era. Jimmy Nelson not only presents us with stunning images of customs and artifacts, but also offers insightful portraits of people who are the guardians of a culture that they — and we — hope will be passed on to future generations in all its glory. Nelson’s large-plate field camera captures every intricate detail and fine nuance for posterity. What’s more, this splendid pageantry is set against a vivid backdrop of some of the world’s most pristine landscapes.