Polo has been very affected during this challenging time. Many are able to help the most vulnerable areas of the sport in different ways. Renowned polo photographer Irina Kazaridi is hosting an online exhibition where several horse portraits will be on sale. A percentage of the profits will be donated to a hospital in Pilar, Buenos Aires.
Kazaridi spoke to Pololine and shared the following information:
How was your passion for polo born?
I studied art at St. Petersburg and architecture of interiors in Milan. I become a photographer very late in life; I am self taught. After my first exhibition series of seascapes, I was looking for a new project. A friend suggested I try polo photography. I’m now based in southern France, not far from Polo Club Saint Tropez. I went there once to take photos of my friends playing polo. From the moment I stepped into the club I fell in love with the atmosphere, and the first time I took pictures I felt amazing. A year later, I showed them at an exhibition in Monaco.
Why did you decide to relate your art to horses?
I have a project related to polo and horses, but it is not my only one. However, horses are my favourite models. Horses are an eternal object of inspiration for me, there is always something to admire. Taking pictures of horses it’s quite a gamble; there is a lot of luck luck involved because they are always very unpredictable. The end photograph depends on many things: the current mood of the horse, the light, the weather conditions, and the groom.
What is the best thing about polo photography?
Polo is an amazing sport. I love its aesthetic, the atmosphere, the smell of the grass, the light, the sound of running horses, the speed. I love to watch the relationship between a human and the horse as well. It’s too beautiful not to love it.
What prompted you to host a Charity Exhibition?
At this complicated time, when all polo tournaments have been canceled, and my two upcoming exhibitions have also been cancelled, we are all at home and thinking about how reality is changing for everyone. I think the time is right to show this online project, and show photos from the last seven years of my travels with polo. This horse portraits were created in an Art-Decorative Equestrian style, inspired by Christian Liaigre and Hermes. Some people now have time to see my work and purchase it if they desire. Part of the profit from the sales will be donated to a hospital in Pilar.
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