Hello! Please
introduce yourself.
Louvre Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE
by Jean Nouvel
My name is Laurian Ghinitoiu and I’m from Romania.
I studied a Masters in architecture at the DIA in Dessau,
Germany. I moved to Berlin four years ago and worked in
an architecture firm for a year. Since then, for two years
and three months, I’ve been traveling the world, using
photography as a tool to document the built environment.
Previously, you trained as an architect. What made you
decide to become an architectural photographer?
It wasn’t a planned decision at all. Within the space of a week
I found out that I wouldn’t be working at the firm I was employed
at, and at the same time I got an email from Wolfgang Buttress,
designer of the UK Pavilion at Expo 2015 in Milan, who said,
“Good morning Laurian, we just saw your photos! They are very
beautiful! We already have a lot of images, but yours are special.”
I was drawn into the unknown. I could have easily turned
away, but I decided to take the risk and look for my own way
out. What seemed very scary at the beginning transformed
into a way of living, which suited me very well—a camera, a
backpack, and continuous traveling.
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