interview – FIND AND SEEK

INTERVIEW – EMMANUEL ROSARIO

August 1, 2017July 30, 2017Posted in photo, photographyTagged art, artist, documentary photography, Emmanuel Rosario, interview, New York photographer, photo, photographyLeave a comment

Tell us a little bit about your background. How did you get your start in photography?

I grew up in Harlem, New York and I always felt like I didn’t fit in with the lifestyle of my peers, and I wanted out. I was tired of reliving the same routine over and over, with no visible progression. I wanted to live an adventurous life that was more in line with what made me feel comfortable in this world. When I took up photography in High School I realized that this could be the escape I was seeking. I trusted my gut. I started going out just to photograph, I would take pictures of everything and anything, but after a few years I became interested in documenting the people with whom I interacted and spent most of my time with. I don’t like photographing just anyone; I am interested in individuals that prefer alternative lifestyles, ones where mutual respect is at the core – people who are true to themselves. Characters of this world that live by their own rules and have a unique way of viewing life, one which is encompassed by love, chaos, compassion and the desire for some new height of excitement. My friends.

You do a lot of traveling. In your travels what has been one of your favorite places to capture?

Motel 666. This is an imaginary, self made motel that my friend and I “built” in the desert between California and Arizona. We created Motel 666 in 2016 when we were driving around and discovered an abandoned house off the side of the road. On first sight, this place was a dump, a place where there has been no life in over 50 years and everything was abandoned and decrepit, taken over by nature. To us, we saw a playground, where anything goes. We were constantly ‘remodeling’ with junk that we found and brought in from outside. Motel 666 had most of the amenities of a home, living room, ‘toilet’, sleeping quarters and even a spot to cook. It had the basics, but by no means was this a place anyone, even us, would want to spend more than two days in. The weather is unbearably hot and there is no water anywhere near, but it is a place where our imaginations went wild and we felt truly free from all social constructs.

What is it about documentary photography that attracted you?

Photography is essentially capturing a frame of our reality in a certain moment in time, weather it be fashion, photojournalism, fine arts, they’re all capturing a certain perspective of life. The difference with documentary photography: I am not in control of a single thing. I am documenting reality as it unfolds before me, photographing real people doing real things. I find more value in moments of true experience than fabricating something with a photo.

What is your creative process like?

My creative process is a difficult one to explain because I don’t really have one, or at least I haven’t been able to define it yet. I like to build trust with the individuals I choose to photograph. This is a crucial step in making photos that reflects true comfort-ability, capturing a story behind the individuals and the space in which we see them. Before shooting I tend to look around the space, see how the light and the environment interact with everything else, and then I wait for actions that I’m drawn to and find interesting in the moment. Those splits seconds between something and nothing. Those are the moments I want to capture.

Do you have a favorite photo that has an interesting story behind it and behind the subject?

This photo was taken around July or August 2014. An hour before I took this photograph I almost drowned twice in ten minutes. My friends and I where in Oregon and went for a swim in a river, one which had a cliff you could jump from. I’ll admit I was a bit too drunk and did not think much of my own swimming skills, and jumped in. It was fine until my arms felt heavy; I started to panic and began to sink. That’s when my best friend, Thibault, came to my rescue and brought me to the other side. I tried to regain my breath and swim back and once again, but the trauma from the first encounter fucked with my mind, and I started to go down again. I called for Thibault and he jumped in immediately, dragging me out. It was one of the worst times of my life. In this photograph my friend Elizabeth is on the left of the frame coming out of the water calmly and Thibualt on the right, hitting the water and causing it to splash up and express a sense of urgency. Which is what I felt at the moment, that relief of being out but also seeing how my friend jumped in to save my life without a second thought.

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

In October I will be traveling to Europe, visiting Berlin, Prague, Poland, Italy, Spain, France, England and Scotland all in a months time to finish photographing the last few photos for a photography book I have been working on for the last five years. Wish me luck.

INTERVIEW – JAIRO ALVAREZ

February 18, 2017February 18, 2017Posted in art, collage, interview, photoTagged argentina, argentina artist, art, interview, Jairo Alvarez, Magritte, Pawel Kuczynski, photo, photographer, Rene Magritte, Wes AndersonLeave a comment

Tell us a little bit about your background. How did you get your start taking photos?

I always felt attracted by visual art. As a child I used to spend every day of the week drawing. I remember being really passionate about drawing super heroes, all of them created by me, each one of them had a different and absurd super power. As time passed by, I slowly stopped drawing, I don’t know why, but it just happened.
In Argentina, when you finish high school it is customary to do a trip with your fellow classmates. For this trip I bought a compact digital camera, which by the way, was my first camera. After that trip, the camera was stored for a while. I always wanted to take a photography course and I took one at the age of 19. I realized that it was something I did not want to tame too much, but to learn through experience. So I started studying on my own count. I began to take pictures just for fun. Trial and failure, over and over. As time passed by, I found myself exploring different types of photography and I then realized I could do with the camera what I was doing before with drawing – create something totally new.

What is your creative process like? What inspires your photographs?

It depends, sometimes the idea is inspired by a place, but most of the time it is something I have jotted down in my notebook. I try to find inspiration in everyday situations, feelings and objects with which I come in contact. First, I draw the main idea in my notebook, just to avoid forgetting it, then I work with the concept, the composition, the light, etc. When the idea is more or less ready, I plan everything. Sometimes I have to build supports with my own hands, it’s one of my favorite parts of the process. This is when I have to define the location, the model, how I will carry out the idea. I like to work a lot in pre-production, so I can decrease post production. I try to use the least amount of Photoshop possible.

How much time goes into carrying out one of your ideas? Which photo has taken the longest to plan out?

It depends on the idea. I build the props with my hands so the time depends on what I need to create. Also, I need to scout the perfect locations. In general it can take one or a couple of weeks from when I scout the location. For example, it took me one week to create a real lipstick-cannon for my photo “Red lips.”

Your photo of the guy with the umbrella and humans raining is very strong. What inspired this photo?

This photo is one of my first self-portraits, 3 years ago. It was shot in the countryside around my town. The umbrella is one of my favorite props, full of meaning, because it protects you but at the same time is very fragile. Rainy humans are like “my others” that died during my life.

Who are some of your biggest influences?

René Magritte, the illustrator Pawel Kuczynski, Wes Anderson, and many others artists.

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

I have been traveling a lot for the last year and a half and many ideas came to my mind, now it is time to carry them out. Also, lately I have fallen more in love with prop-design, so the next photos will probably include an object that I built specially for them.

INTERVIEW – RICARDO CAVOLO

July 23, 2016July 23, 2016Posted in art, fashion, illustration, interview, painting, UncategorizedTagged art, artist, artist interview, Desiigner, fashion, fashion and art, Future, hip hop, illustration, interview, Kanye, Lil Yachty, mural, painting, ricardo cavoloLeave a comment

Tell us a little bit about your background, how did you get your start in the art world?

Well, I was born at my father’s painting studio. He is also an artist so since my very first day in this world I was surrounded by brushes, canvas, colors, pencils… So this was the natural path for me. I always knew I would become someone whose life is art. It’s been easy in that sense, I never had any doubts or a plan B.

I read that you are from Spain; how does your heritage translate into your work?

I’m not sure if my work is influenced by my country. I never use Spain and its tradition as a specific part of my inspiration. Or at least no more than other countries. I use Italian, American, African or Asian heritages at the same level as the Spanish one.

Your work consists of a lot of very colorful portraits. How do you pick your subjects?

I always have dozens of stories in my mind that I want to tell through my work, most of them are about pretty much the same thing: the non-standard people, the non-regular people, minorities (usually not well treated minorities). I’ve been living with gypsies for 10 years and have seen that B side of society, but there are also wonderful things that happen, there is also magic there, even brighter than the usual one. I like to speak about that magic from the B side of the society.

What is your creative process like?

I always create the story first in my mind, and the rest of the process is pretty much improvisation. I let my hands choose the composition and my eyes and heart choose the colors… There is not too much to explain, I just create the story in my mind and the rest happens naturally 🙂

I read that you listen to a lot of hip-hop while painting. What is on your playlist right now?

Desiigner, Future, Kanye, Lil Yachty…

On your Instagram I’ve seen a couple of really cool clothing pieces with your work on them. Is clothing/print design something that you thought you would ever be a part of?

I love fashion, it’s fun and it’s a great kind of art. I’m working on my own clothing brand, I hope I can get some fun from the fashion world someday.

What is inspiring you right now? What are you currently working on?

I’m working on a sort of illustrated encyclopedia about outsiders of our world, human minorities, cities, countries, animals, plants, artists… A book about the B side of life.