Industrial Culture

He was born in 1972 in Munich - Germany, raised up and educated in Serbia, where he also completed army service. Professionally involved in photography since 1995. He is finding his inspiration in documentary motives, social changes of his society and people. He is also covering historical moments that are influencing our future. Documenting destinies of common people in unusual moments. The world around us is constantly changing, so the actuality of our world today stays frozen in my frames, preserved for the future. "Ethno" motives of different cultures are fascinating him mostly of all, because they are clearly showing the cultural and historical development of particular social or ethnic group and the environment in which they are living. He is documenting all what is traditional, because it starts to disappear slowly in today's process of globalization.

He has worked as a photographer in several media in Serbia: agencies Beta and Fonet, newspapers Blic, 24 sata, Kurir, magazines NheN, Belgrader, Reporter, henternet site Free Serbia... His photo work have been used by various photo agencies: Corbis, Zuma Press, Sipa Press, Exile hemages, Reuters. Beside almost all printing media in Serbia, his work has been published in worldwide newspapers and magazines: News Week, Playboy, Times, Guardian, Focus, Suddeutche Zeitung-edition for youth, Elsevier, herish Times, Berlingske Tidende, annual book of PRheO - henternational Peace Research henstitute from Norway. His photos have been used also for numerous books, campaigns, humanitarian projects, documentary and scientific TV shows.
   
During past years he received several domestic and international prizes for photography: Ringier Award, YU Press for photo-reportage, UNS (association of Journalists from Serbia) reward for photo of the year, Beta photo contest award.
Exhibition's (group and individual): Belgrade, Pula, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, Copenhagen, Boston, London, Paris.

He participated in different campaign's, seminars and projects: "Next Stop Serbia" Denmark, "Peace Building" Praxis Peace henstitute from San Francisco, "Peace Alliance" Community Self-Determination henstitute from California, "Confidence Building Measures : Serbia-Kosovo" Fractal NGO Belgrade. Some of the important events and topics he have covered: Kosovo conflict 1998-2008, NATO bombing Serbia and Yugoslavia, fall of Milosevic`s dictatorship, Ethno spirit of Serbia, Roma (Gipsy) minority in Serbia, Middle East conflict - hesrael and Palestine, life in Gaza Strip, Los Angeles ghetto, reportage about Serbian refugees coming back to their homes in Croatia and Bosnia, reportage's about cities he has visited.


Kosovo 38 - Merdare, Kosovo-Serbia, 1999
Serbian Army Pulling out from Kosovo, June 1999. On a three months' bombardments of Yugoslavia (Serbia), a Military-Technical Deal was ratified between Serbian Army and NATO in Kumanovo, Macedonia, under which all army and police troops were to leave the whole of territory of Kosovo.


Kosovo 17 - Volujak, Kosovo-Serbia, 1998
Mass grave with remains of Serbian civilians killed by KLA during the 1998 conflict. In the years after the Kosovo war in 1998-99, many mass graves were founded, with remains of Serbs and Albanians, which proves that both sides have committed war crimes.


NATO bombing 18 - Djakovica, Kosovo, Serbia, 1999
Civilian killed by NATO bomb. A total of 73 people died and 43 were wounded when an Albanian refugees' convoy moving along the Djakovica-Prizren route was shelled by NATO craft on April 14 1999. On preliminary accusations aimed against Serbian state security forces, NATO stated a day after this massacre that there was a feasible possibility of civilians having been hit by laser-directed grenades during one of its missions. Reportedly, the refugee column was bombed by craft soaring on about 5,000 meters' height as a pilot ostensibly eyed military vehicles inside the moving column.


NATO bombing 31 - Belgrade, Serbia, 1999
Anti-aircraft defense over Belgrade.


Mideast 09 - Bil`in, West Bank, Israel, 2005
A Palestinian youth uses a sling-shot to hurl a stone at Israel soldiers during a demonstration against the construction of Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank town of Bil'in.


Portfolio 06 - fortress Maglic, Serbia, 1998
Medieval fortress Maglic, known also as "Cursed Jerina`s Town", from XIII century.


Portfolio 07 - Preshevo Valley, Serbia, 2001
An old house.


Portfolio 04 - Ada Bojana, Montenegro, 2007
Fishermans on Ada Bojana.


Roots 62 - Visegrad, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2002
Bridge of Višegrad across the Drina River in the east of Bosnia and Herzegovina was built at the end of the 16th century by the court architect Mimar Koca Sinan on the orders of Grand Vizier Mehmed Paša Sokolovic (a Serb by origins). Characteristic of the apogee of Ottoman monumental architecture and civil engineering, the bridge has 11 masonry arches with spans of 11 m to 15 m, and an access ramp at right angles with four arches on the left bank of the river.
This bridge is also a major topic of Nobel Prize winner Ivo Andric`s book "Bridge over Drina".


Roots 15 - Devil Town, Serbia, 2002
A unique natural phenomenon that due to its unnatural and spooky looks got the name, Djavolja Varos (Devil's Town) is the result of constant erosive process - the caps on the top protect the columns, while the rest of the dissolute is constantly washed away. The red earth columns and pyramids have various interesting shapes.

Source:
Andrija Ilic Photo Gallery