Kacper Kowalski

Kacper Kowalski (b. 1977, Poland) has been observing and photographing landscapes from the air for more than 25 years. He studied architecture at the Gdańsk University of Technology and worked as an architect for four years before devoting himself entirely to flying and photography. As a paraglider and a pilot of small aircraft and gyrocopters, he has spent more than 5,000 hours in the air, photographing the natural and urban environments of his native Poland from around 150 metres above the ground.

His work has received three World Press Photo awards and six Pictures of the Year International awards. His first book, Side Effects, appeared in 2014, followed by the self-published OVER in 2017 and Arché in 2021. Arché was shortlisted for the Prix du Livre at Rencontres d'Arles in 2022.

Event Horizon (2022), his fourth book, was published by 1605 Collective. Made during 76 solo flights over the frozen waters of northern Poland between January and March 2021, it carries a foreword by Robert Macfarlane. In 2023 the book won first prize in the Nature category of the International Photography Awards, and the series won first prize in the Landscape category of the Sony World Photography Awards. In 2024 he received the ZAiKS Visual Arts Award.

Kacper Kowalski is represented by Panos Pictures, Bildhalle in Amsterdam and Zurich, and Atlas Gallery in London.