"For this intense project, Frederik Buyckx built a silent bond
with the shepherd community in Kyrgyzstan, who took him on its
wanderings. In Frederik's photographs, you can almost feel the wind cut
through your skin as you journey by horse through the snow-covered
landscape. Everything makes you feel that he is not only there to take
pictures, but that he has a genuine sense of empathy." - Magnum photographer Bieke Depoorter


"The
work of Buyckx returns to the essence of looking at photography. A
landscape is often overlooked but it is central to our existence." - Zelda Cheatle, chair of judges at the Sony World Photography Awards


In
his work, photographer Frederik Buyckx (1984) explores remote areas
where nature can be overwhelmingly beautiful and unpredictably harsh. In
doing so, he systematically sounds out the ultimate boundaries of the
elements.


Encounters with unique people are often the occasion for a photo series. In his award-winning series Horse Head, he documents in an inimitable way - and on horseback himself - the isolated lifestyle of semi-nomadic shepherds in Kyrgyzstan.