The Island of Offerings
By Thibault Gerbaldi
A Buddhist monk walks through a temple corridor in Kataragama, in Sri Lanka, his saffron robe standing out against the warm interior light. The image reflects the quiet discipline of monastic life, structured by movement, prayer, and daily ritual.
Thibault Gerbaldi © All rights reserved
Across Sri Lanka, faith is lived through ritual, discipline, gesture, and place. This series moves from young Buddhist novice monks in Galle to candlelit temple rituals near Kataragama and a natural cave used as a monastery. A Tamil tea worker from the central highlands broadens the series beyond Buddhist monastic life. This points to Sri Lanka’s layered religious landscape, where Buddhist, Hindu, and other traditions coexist.
Three young Buddhist novices hold candles inside a monastery in Sri Lanka. In Buddhist practice, light is often associated with clarity, offering, and devotion, turning this quiet procession into part of a broader spiritual education.
Thibault Gerbaldi © All rights reserved
Young Buddhist novices gather on the white steps of a monastery in Galle, Sri Lanka. Their saffron robes mark the beginning of monastic training, where religious education, discipline, and community life are passed from one generation to the next.
Thibault Gerbaldi © All rights reserved
Young novice monks play with their saffron robes in the courtyard of a Buddhist monastery near Galle, Sri Lanka. Set against a white stupa after the rain, the scene shows a moment of childhood and joy within the discipline of monastic life.
Thibault Gerbaldi © All rights reserved
Thibault Gerbaldi
Right: At the Monastery Door
A young Buddhist novice stands in the doorway of a monastery near Galle, Sri Lanka, framed by turquoise wood and the dim interior of the shrine behind him. His saffron robe marks the beginning of a monastic education rooted in discipline, devotion, and daily ritual.
Thibault Gerbaldi © All rights reserved
Thibault Gerbaldi is a self-taught Leica photographer and passionate traveler, known for capturing authentic, emotional stories from some of the world’s most remote and diverse regions.
Two young monks stand before a seated Buddha statue in a monastic site in Sri Lanka. The scene links childhood, instruction, and devotion within a sacred space where Buddhist teachings are learned through both study and daily practice.
Thibault Gerbaldi © All rights reserved
His award-winning work crosses cultures and landscapes from Greenland to India. He blends documentary, travel, and portrait photography. Thibault has self-published eight photography books. He earned international recognition, including first place at the Siena Awards 2025, the International Photography Awards (IPA) 2025, and the International Travel Photo Awards 2024 and 2025. He also won second place at PX3 (Prix de la Photographie de Paris) 2024, the MonoVisions Photography Awards 2025, and the Fine Art Photography Awards 2025.
In 2024, he received the Rising Talent Award from Travel Photographer of the Year, the world’s most prestigious travel photography competition. That same year, he was named one of AAP’s Emerging Talents to Watch.
A young monk sits beside a monastery window in Sri Lanka, lit by the warm glow of the interior. The shaved head and saffron robe signal his entry into Buddhist monastic life, where spiritual training begins at an early age.
Thibault Gerbaldi © All rights reserved
Right: Young monk with a candle
A young Buddhist novice holds a candle inside a monastery in Sri Lanka. In Buddhist practice, light is often associated with clarity, offering, and devotion, turning a simple gesture into part of a wider spiritual education.
Thibault Gerbaldi © All rights reserved
In 2025, three of his photographs were selected for Around the World with Leica, a major exhibition held at Leica’s headquarters in Wetzlar. The event celebrated the brand’s 100th anniversary. His work was chosen from over one million images by more than 65,000 photographers worldwide.
This recognition placed his work at the core of Leica’s global centennial celebration.
A young Buddhist novice stands in the doorway of a monastery near Galle, Sri Lanka, framed by turquoise wood and the dim interior of the shrine behind him. His saffron robe marks the beginning of a monastic education rooted in discipline, devotion, and daily ritual.
Thibault Gerbaldi © All rights reserved
In 2026, he was selected by the French Senate to present Fragilités & Résiliences, a four-month solo outdoor exhibition of 80 photographs displayed on large-scale panels along the gates of the Jardin du Luxembourg in the heart of Paris. Set to reach a very wide public, the show traces a visual journey across five continents.
The exhibition moves from Greenland to Namibia and beyond. Through the dialogue between people and places, it invites viewers to revisit assumptions about strength and vulnerability, and the forces shaping both the natural world and human societies.
His images have been published in Leica Fotografie International, All About Photo, Digital Camera, and various specialized media. Much like Thibault himself, his work travels the world. His images have been seen in Miami, Paris, Arles, Venice, Marrakech, Los Angeles, and Rome.
A temple visitor lights a small oil lamp beside a Buddhist monk at Kataragama. The moment reflects the shared nature of worship at the temple, where ritual gestures are repeated by people from different generations and backgrounds.
Thibault Gerbaldi © All rights reserved
Beyond photography, Thibault is committed to supporting humanitarian causes through his work. A board member of The Forgotten International since 2019, he funds solidarity projects through donations linked to the dissemination of his books and photographic prints, outside of any commercial framework.