Moldpres photographer awarded National Prize for 2015

Chisinau, 20 August /MOLDPRES/ - Director of the Moldpres News Agency’s Fotomoldpres TV Department, photographer, Master of Arts Mihai Potarniche has been awarded the National Prize for 2015.

The decision was taken by secret vote by the Governmental Commission for for awarding the National Prize and approved at a cabinet meeting on 19 August. The high distinction was awarded for the artist’s lifetime achievement in art photography.

According to writer and editor Ioan Manascurta, Mihai Potarniche is the artist who was awarded this high distinction with a regrettable delay.

"I had been familiar with his art since the 1970s, when he appeared in the press and was appreciated by all fans of photographic art which was completely absent at that time and in this area. Later, I discovered his artistic values and qualities of a good friend, working on more albums, among which I would like to mention "Stefan", "Republica Moldova. Panoramic" (Republic of Moldova. Panoramic) , "Trandafir de la Moldova" (Rose of Moldova), "Republica Moldova. Patrimonial" (Republic of Moldova. Heritage) and others on which we had the pleasure to work together. Here I also include "Antologia fotografiei basarabene" (Bessarabian Image Anthology), which I edited", noted Ioan Manascurta.

Interviewed by the agency, master photographer Mihai Potarniche said that everything he had accomplished throughout his career, he did it out of pleasure and love for photography.

"I embraced the profession of photographer 45 years ago, when in 1970 I graduated from the National College of Viticulture and Wine-making from Chisinau and was surprisingly assigned as a photographer for the Munca Pasnica (Peaceful Work) newspaper of Straseni, at the management's request," said the new National Prize laureate.

This was an unusual assignment for Mihai Potarniche, as having been considered the best wine taster of the series of graduates from 1970, he was to be assigned to the wine factory in the village of Ciumai. Thus, the profession of photographer became a hobby for him, because he began to shoot artistic photography in his spare time.

According to the photographer, he got his most important schooling during the years 1972-1977, when he worked as a photographer at the Cultura (Culture) weekly newspaper, where under the guidance of editor-in-chief Victor Teleuca and painter Dumitru Trifan, he underwent a re-assessment of his values regarding photography. Another school in journalistic photography he attended was Moldova Socialista (Socialist Moldova) followed by the Moldovan Telegraphic Agency, where he worked in the years 1979-1988.

It is worth mentioning that, working at the Moldovan Telegraphic Agency for ten years in a row, he was awarded one of the 15 annual prizes for best photographer, provided by Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union (TASS). Back then, over 460 photojournalists worked at the TASS Agency.

Mihai Potarniche was born on 4 January 1951 in the village of Paharniceni, central Orhei district. In 1970, he graduated from the National College of Viticulture and Wine-making from Chisinau. He is a self-taught photographer. Potarniche is a member of the Journalists Union of Moldova (starting from 1972), member of the Photographic Artists Union (1995) and member of the Fine Artists Union of Moldova (2005). In 1993 he was awarded the Master of Arts title. Throughout his career, Mihai Potarniche had 42 solo exhibitions in Moldova and abroad and has published 45 books.

The MOLDPRES State News Agency team congratulates Mihai Potarniche on this high distinction and wishes him good health and success in his activity!

(Reporter N. Roibu, Editor A. Raileanu)