Portraits from my trip to India
One hour into his first Psychology class, Anthony Kurtz walked out of the sciences forever and into the arts. Quitting his long-time home of Geneva, Switzerland for San Francisco, Anthony began attending the Academy of Art University in 2001, studying New Media and Graphic Design. In the Fall of 2002, he attended a mandatory liberal-arts class: Intro to Photography. Without any further education in the field, he continued to learn on his spare time while simultaneously pursuing his degree in New Media. In March 2003, he acquired his first SLR camera and documented the anti-war protests that shut down the City of San Francisco following the invasion of Iraq. His compulsion for documentation has garnered him several awards (International Photo Awards 2007 (Honorable Mentions in Feature Story, Editorial and Life Style), International Photo Awards 2006 (Honorable Mentions in Feature Story, Landscape, Still Life and Trees), International Photo Awards 2005 (First Place in Nature category for non-professionals, Honorable Mention in Bridges, Buildings, Editorial, People, Lifestyle and Self-portrait. Work printed in 2005 Lucie Awards Book. Urban Exploration Photography Contest (Nominated in three categories), AAU Spring Show 2005, Nominated in Video, Audio, Imaging and Photography. AAU Spring Show 2004, First Place in Digital Photography, First Place Student?s Choice Award in Digital Photography, nominated in Video.) as well as numerous gallery shows in the Bay Area (ARTworkSF ("Nocturnal Visions" and "Rubberneck"), 111Minna Gallery ("Monsters & Robots" and "?????"), Space Gallery ("Anthony Kurtz Photography" and "The Art of War"), Fort Mason?s Herbst Pavillion(?Storm?-Effection), Dogpatch Studios, (Affliction-Effection), Effection Gallery ("?????"), Element Lounge (Solo Show) , Middle River Art Gallery (Connecticut), AAU Spring Show (2005-2002).)
Anthony counts visionaries George Orwell, Caravaggio among his personal heroes and influences on his creative life, but ultimately believes that heroism lies within all of us, and that beauty can be found in the most incongruous places, with or without the camera lens.
