AN INTERVIEW WITH ARTIST NICO OVED

                                                  Haikyo, Whitby Psychiatric #15

Good morning!  I hope you all had a great holiday.  Today we have a feature interview with documentary photographer Nico Oved.  Nico's work concentrates on the relationship between people & the spaces they inhabit, or used to inhabit, as the case may be with the 3 photographs that we are lucky to feature at Photography Art Store.

YOU PREFER THE TERM “DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHER OVER “PHOTO JOURNALIST”.  WHY?
I actually see my aims and those of photojournalism as identical - to shed light on a situation in the world that otherwise may go overlooked. My problem is with the style-rut I feel photojournalism has fallen into. When the word photojournalism is used, most people immediately see in their heads a black & white 35mm frame with some sort of wide angle composition of people in a dynamic relationship to each other. I feel this is an example of a "photojournalistic" shot:

                         Henri Cartier-Bresson, "Gestapo Informer, 1945"

These compositions were pioneered and made famous by the greats: Henri Cartier-Bresson, André Kertész, Robert Capa. However, with the modern ad-nauseum repetition of these compositions and style, the original intent of photojournalism is undermined. Rather than illustrating the specifics of each situation, each picture is reduced to archetypes of the "good guys", the "bad guys" and the "victims" - homogenizing all stories into the same narrative, the details of which are unimportant.  Call me naive, but I still like to see myself as an impartial observer. I like the word "documentary" because it refers to both an impartial document and because it implies a longer view than the immediate narrative of photojournalism. I believe much photojournalism is a little slap-dash: run into a situation, find an archetypal, people-driven narrative, snap it, and get out. I avoid people in my photos mostly because I'm uninterested in making someone a poster boy for a situation or existence. I like the idea that human activity is recorded in my photos in the form of constructions, and therein lies my only narrative: "how did that get there?"

YOU’RE MOVING AWAY FROM DOCUMENTING ABANDONED SPACES & ARE NOW SHOOTING PLACES THAT ARE INHABITED.  WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO MAKE THE CHANGE TO SHOOTING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PEOPLE & WHERE THEY LIVE?
What initially drew me to abandoned spaces was simply an aesthetic tension - the beauty in decay. But as I shot many industrial spaces, I began to realize I was interested in the narrative of how our society had shifted from an industrial economy to a service economy. That was one narrative. One I felt I exhausted, at least for now. From there, I realized there were many narratives that could be told using this relationship between human constructions and the situations and reasons underlying them. And what really excited me was that this was a way of illustrating a narrative that didn't rely on established photo-narrative conventions.

                                                        Warehouse #6

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE HAIKYO SERIES THAT “WHITBY”, “INGLIS PLANT” & “WAREHOUSE 6” CAME FROM?
Haikyo has been a popular activity in Japan for quite a while - it is the act of exploring abandoned buildings. Now there are internet communities throughout the world devoted to it. My Haikyo series is actually 3 or more projects that made up the majority of the work I did in university and helped me develop my style - experiential large format colour prints that hold a sharp focus from foreground to background. My first project was about the abandoned Stelco plant in Hamilton; the second, the abandoned Whitby Psychiatric Hospital and the third, my thesis called Haikyo Seiro, focussed on spaces in transition, but wasn't about any one space in particular.

                                                         Inglis Plant, Liberty Village

CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS IS?  HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH THE CONCEPT FOR AN IMAGE OR SERIES?
I almost always used to work backwards. I'd picture the final product in my head down to the last detail. I'd literally see a framed print on a gallery wall, or an imagined book layout. Working that way helped me establish my aesthetic - I wanted large format colour prints. But unless these photos were shot on a large format camera with a long depth of field, there wouldn't be enough detail to justify such a large print. That said, I feel myself transitioning now... and I'm not sure where I'll be going exactly.

HOW MUCH OF YOUR WORK IS SPONTANEOUS AS OPPOSED TO CAREFULLY PLANNED OUT SHOTS?
This is one of my huge preoccupations at the moment. I find myself so overly careful and planned, that I can often become paralyzed with inaction if any of the myriad conditions surrounding a shoot are less than ideal. I'm not sure why. Is it due to the cost, time and effort expended shooting with a large format 4x5 view camera? Whatever it is, as I've begun embracing digital shooting I feel like I've become re-energized, and freed up to experiment more. It may be because there's no film or developing involved; it may just be a psychological hurdle.

HOW DO YOU DECIDE ON LOCATIONS OR SUBJECT MATTER?
That's easy - I'm simply always on the lookout for a group of people who have an interesting story that easily manifests itself in physical constructions.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE PEOPLE TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR ART?
Again, this may sound naive, but I hope someone who sees my work becomes aware that the everyday existences of vast swaths of people differ enormously from their own. I'd be extremely satisfied if through exposure to these photos, viewers are eventually able to more accurately position themselves within this world of innumerable realities and existences.

UNLIKE A LOT OF PHOTOGRAPHERS THESE DAYS YOU’VE CHOSEN TO STICK WITH FILM AS YOUR SHOOTING MEDIUM.  WHY?
At first it was a technical decision. When I started, there simply was no way to get the sharpness and resolution necessary for my prints from a digital camera. Later, I began to appreciate the subtle, pastel-like tones and hues that I was getting from my long exposures on film. Now, for better or worse, this is all changing. I find myself tiring of all the work involved in scanning negatives. Especially since I'm not seeing any of the technical advantages of film anymore. Some of the new lenses for digital cameras are sharper than my 4x5 lenses. And some of the new digital camera bodies are producing so many pixels, that even the highest resolution scan of a large format negative is not getting me better information to work with. Finally, my facility in digital workflow has improved to the degree that I now trust myself to be able to reproduce those subtle tones and gradations of film with my digital files. In short, I'm currently at a crossroads where I'm trying to decide how to modify my working method to shoot digital. I feel like the time saved cutting scanning out of the process will allow me to do what I really enjoy: shoot a lot more.

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW? TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT CAN WE LOOK FORWARD TO NEXT?
I guess you could say I'm working on my last film project. Six months ago I returned from two years in Brazil. I worked in the big cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, but also travelled to all 5 regions of the country. While there, I worked hard to establish relationships with many people from many walks of life. Nearly everywhere I went, I found amazingly literal illustrations of the infamous Brazilian gap between rich and poor. These constructed spaces perfectly reflected what I heard and saw from the Brazilians themselves - that people living 5 minutes apart might as well be living in different continents. However, these communities are complex places, not simply havens for drugs and violence. It was only by demonstrating my respect for that complexity that I was able to even enter these places. So I'm planning a show about the hillside favelas (shantytowns) in Rio de Janiero. I hope to self-publish a short run of books that deal with various marginalized communities - including the favela work - throughout Brazil.

PHOTO GROUPING OF THE DAY

Who says you have to hang art?! This wonderful arrangement by master interior designer (& photographer), Vincent Wolf, shows that sometimes a more relaxed approach is better. It's also non-committal. You can change up the photographs whenever you wish! Do you like to "lean" art? Let us know. We'd love to see the pics!

NEW RELEASES & AN INTERVIEW WITH ARTIST ANDREA STULTIENS

I'm so pleased to be able to feature these 2 prints from Dutch artist Andrea Stultiens at www.photographyartstore.com. The photograph "Cow" & "Lumumba Hall" are from her series "Things that Matter" from her first trip to Uganda. I recently had a chance to e-chat with Andrea about her work & how these 2 images came about.

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR IDEAS & INSPIRATION FROM?
I don't know about inspiration. That word has a level of mythology about it that I don't like. But ideas for my work, well they come from curiosity and asking myself questions about what I see. I have been, as long as I can remember, fascinated by stories. I love to be told a good story, and don't really care in what medium that happens, or whether it is a fictional story or not. I try to tell stories in photographs. This is not possible in one single image. That will only give the viewer the chance to project their story into it. I don't want to suggest that that is not valuable. I am just more interested in the juxtaposition, the sequence, the series of photographs, together with text or not, that tells a story itself. The other thing I ask questions about is how we use photography in our lives. How it helps us to organize and make sense of the world. Works from my interest in storytelling are obviously telling stories themselves, while at the same time investigating the mediums specific problems and possibilities in relation to storytelling.

YOU ALSO WORK ON COMPILING BOOKS & PROJECTS FROM IMAGES THAT YOU HAVE COLLECTED OR FOUND... CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS IS?
I start by keeping my eyes open, walking into something, a good story, an extra ordinary set of photographs. Then I start investigating the story, or the set of photographs. Sometimes this is done by reading literature, but mostly it involves at least also some kind of visual research and collecting and/or making of images. Some works need a lot of time before they start making sense, before they come together and not just communicate to me, but also to an audience. Usually I make dummy books to order my thoughts and see the potential of the material.

YOU SAY BOOKS ARE YOUR FAVORITE MEDIUM TO PRESENT YOUR WORK. WHY?
The single image is not what interests me most. Of course it is great when people like an image I made enough to hang it on their wall and want to see it on a daily basis. But it says more about them, than about me, or the photograph. As soon as the photograph is hung on a wall, it gets its meaning from the context it is in there and then. The book gives me the chance to create the context I want for the image. The book is a space around the it, that makes you read it in a certain way, as part of a story, that is also partly made by the reader, but at least also partly by me as an author.

A FEW YEARS AGO YOU DID A PROJECT ON DUTCH IMMIGRANTS WHO HAD MIGRATED TO CANADA. HOW DID THIS PROJECT COME ABOUT?
A curator from a Dutch photography festival knew a book diptych I made about two Dutch villages; Kerkdorp-Polderdorp. The books try to look at the way people organize their lives in small communities, how they are influenced by the landscape/environment they are in, and how they use rituals to cope with time, place, and each other. In the books I use vernacular images, from private as well as public collections, to fill in the (historical) gaps that my photographs, taken from my particular view point, inevitably had. The curator placed an open call for photographers who had done work about Dutch communities abroad. I hadn't, but was very curious what other reactions he would get, since I was interested in what 'Dutchness' is and looks like. The other reaction he got was from Frits Gerritsen, who photographed the Dutch migrants in a Canadian polder (dyked and drained land - a Dutch specialty) in the late 1950's. Knowing my work, he asked me whether I would be interested in doing a follow up on Frits' photographs. I was of course. This given situation of people moving to another part of the world, and ending up in a polder landscape, that had to have some 'Dutchness' about it, seemed perfect to look further into my big interest at the time. So I went to the polder, found some of the former inhabitants of it (there is nobody actually living there anymore), photographed the polder, collected images in which they documented their transition from being Dutch to Canadian, and made, with an important role for Frits' photographs, a book and an exhibition out of it.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE PEOPLE TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR WORK?
Well, I hope they will be able to relate to the stories I try to tell. That they will, like good stories tend to do, help them to position themselves within the world. And in case of a single image, like the ones that are available at Photography Art Store, I hope they can enjoy their esthetics, and that they will be able to project some of their fantasies on them, create their own story.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT HOW LUMUMBA HALL CAME ABOUT?
Lumumba Hall is part of the first project I did in Uganda. I used to be convinced that I couldn't really say something about a culture that was not my own. I could never really understand what I was saying, I thought. When I visited a friend who lives in Uganda I was confronted with my own prejudices, that I didn't think I had, and with those of others towards my white skin. I decided I wanted to try to make a work about how we jump to conclusions about 'others'. I asked two groups of primary school children to photograph what is important in their life, to show to the children in the other village. Both villages are small, in a remote area, next to a lake, and poor for the countries standards. One village is in Uganda, the other in the Netherlands. After photographing twice, and looking at each others images, we went on school trips. With the children in the Netherlands to a museum that shows their cultural heritage, in Uganda to the Uganda Museum. The trip in Uganda was quite an operation. It could not be done in just one day. Most of the children had never been to the provincial town that is nearest to their village, let alone to Kampala, the capital of Uganda. I knew this, but was hardly prepared for the experience. It was very humbling to be around kids who saw buildings of more than one level for the first time. Who experienced their first television night on a very snowy old t.v., who were confronted with doors with key locks in them and didn't know how to handle the key, since their homes are secured by pad locks. The two nights in Kampala we slept in Lumumba Hall, a university hall for boys at the campus of Makarere University. The staircase was a big attraction for the children, just as the running water of the (cold) showers.

AND THE IMAGE OF "COW" WAS TAKEN DURING THE SAME TRIP, RIGHT?
When working in the village where the kids live, I stayed at the grounds of a Ugandan organization that promotes creativity, culture, and practical skills in Uganda, and knowledge about Africa in the rest of the world. I thought it might be interesting to photograph people, places and things that contribute to, and/or benefit from the existence of this organization. It has so far not really worked out as a project, but some nice photographs came out of it, among them this Cow.

YOU JUST RETURNED FROM ANOTHER TRIP TO UGANDA. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT WHAT YOU WERE WORKING ON THERE.
Uganda's history is almost only documented from a western perspective. The whole concept of documenting is not part of the African culture. In today's reality photographs play an important role in image building and knowledge of a place. Not just in the western world, but also in Africa. I was interested in what was available in Ugandan archives, and asked a Ugandan photographer who I met through my friend about them. I was preparing for the exhibition of 'Things That Matter', the project with the children in the Uganda Museum, when, through several lucky coincidences, this photographer introduced me to his grandfather, Kaddu Wasswa. Kaddu is 76 years old. He led, and still leads a very active and interesting life. And what's more, he documented it. As a young man he was convinced that the only way to develop his country was to adopt British (Uganda was a protectorate of the United Kingdom) etiquette. He developed this point of view during his life, but it did lead to the idea that he should document his activities. And he did, in writing and documents, as well as in photographs. I am now, together with Kaddu himself, and his grandson, working on a visual biography. It will tell Kaddu's story, and at the same time give the opportunity to show Uganda's recent history from a non western perspective. I photograph only on the basis of Kaddu's stories, and the images in his archives. In the telling of the story, the perspective shifts from Kaddu, to Arthur (his grandson) to me (with again a western perspective). Whenever this happens I try to make it transparent, so that the reader will know how he is looking at what he sees. 'The Kaddu Wasswa Archive' is a work in progress that will be an exhibition in the Dutch Photo Museum in Rotterdam somewhere early 2011. Hopefully it will travel, and hopefully there will also be a book.

YOU HAVE MADE A DECISION TO PUT ALL PROFITS FROM THE SALE OF YOUR UGANDA IMAGES BACK INTO OTHER UGANDA PROJECTS. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT TO YOU?
Well, all activities mentioned above cost money. I do not want to only 'take' something from Uganda, but also bring something back. We (the western world) have taken enough, and still are. It is bad enough that I have the freedom to choose to go to Uganda, while most of the people I work with do not have the means to return the favor. I try to make the collaborations as equal as possible. That is not always easy and does put all of us sometimes in awkward situations. But to be confronted with those situations, and having to think about them is a healthy thing. Our wealth and the choices that come with them are taken for granted too easily.

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW?
Next to the work in/with/about Uganda I am working on a book that will be presented in May of next year. The title is 'Intensive Care' and it is a collaboration with a Dutch writer; Vrouwkje Tuinman. She was the best friend of my sister’s boyfriend. My sister & her boyfriend were in a car crash 31st of December last year. I was on honeymoon when I heard about it, and rushed back home. On the second day in the hospital I started to take photographs. Both my sister and her boyfriend died after some days in a coma. I documented all that happened, in an attempt to understand what I was seeing. It all seemed strangely familiar because of all the times you see intensive care units and funerals on television. At the same time it was so completely different, and I was living in such a strange bubble, that I thought I needed to record it somehow. When everything was behind us, Vrouwkje and me started to look at my photographs and her writings, and found that this was more than just our private story. The book will be presented in a photo-manifestation called 'Memory Lane', organized by Photodok in Utrecht. Next to Intensive Care, Alec Soth's Dog Days Bogota will be shown. I like the combination of a strange ending of a life in our project, and a strange beginning in his. The book will be bilingual Dutch/English. Again together with Vrouwkje I am working on another book about death. It is a bit early to say more about it, but I am excited by how it is progressing, and the title will be 'Wunderkammer'. Then last but not least, I am writing my masters thesis on photography and storytelling, with the Kaddu Wasswa Archive as the practice side of it. I'll be busy! At the moment there are no international shows coming up. In the Netherlands however my work will be on display in 'Quickscan' (on the present state of Dutch Photography) in the Dutch Photo Museum in Rotterdam (opens January 17th), and in 'Het Glazen Huis' in Amsterdam (opens January 10th). More details will be on my website under 'News'.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with this image by photographer Roberto Dutesco from his series on the wild horses of Sable Island. It's one of my favorites. The exhibit is currently showing at 13 Crosby Street, New York if you're in the neighborhood.

PHOTO GROUPING OF THE DAY

I wanted our first Photo Grouping of the Day image to be really special. I searched my archives for the perfect image & I think this photo by Aussie photographer Anson Smart fits the bill... non? I just love this grouping (not to mention the photographs)! Especially the way it looks haphazardly hung. Trust me this layout was very well thought out! Hanging art is an art (pun intended). In future posts we'll be featuring tips from the experts on the right way to create a gallery wall in your own home. The other thing I love in this grouping is the way the home owner's personal family pics are mixed in along with the fine art photographs. Have you created a gallery wall in your home? We'd love to see the pics!

An interview with artist Jennifer Squires

I recently had the opportunity to echat with artist Jennifer Squires. If you're not familiar with Jennifer's work you really should check out her website & blog. Her images are beautiful & would make perfect holiday gifts. Read on for the details of our echat.

I REALLY LOVE HOW YOU USE LIGHT IN YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS. IT GIVES YOUR SUBJECTS A BEAUTIFUL, SOFT, DIFFUSED LOOK. ALMOST LIKE THEY ARE BACKLIT. I THINK IT’S REALLY BECOME YOUR SIGNATURE. HOW DID YOU COME ABOUT FINDING THIS STYLE?

I think my lighting style has really come full circle. When I first began experimenting with photography I was all about doing things simply and beautifully so most of my shots used available light. As I progressed through college and into the world of advertising photography I became immersed in artificial light sources, primarily studio flash. One day when I found myself wondering what the best way would be to replicate "daylight" in a certain scenario, that's when I realized gorgeously flattering available light would be my muse.

ON YOUR BLOG YOU DESCRIBE YOUR WORK AS “FRESH PHOTOGRAPHY FOR HIP HOMES”. I THINK WE HAVE THAT IN COMMON, THAT WE BELIEVE THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE PURCHASE ART TO BEAUTIFY THEIR SPACES. NOT FOR ANY POTENTIAL INVESTMENT FACTOR. WHAT DO YOU HOPE PEOPLE GET OUT OF YOUR ART?

I hope that people are inspired by my work. Inspired to find beauty in the simple world around them. Inspired to appreciate nature and all that it has to offer. Inspired to live more simply.

WHAT GIVES YOU IDEAS & INSPIRES YOU TO MAKE SUCH BEAUTIFUL IMAGERY?

The ideas for my images come from a variety of sources but mainly from my urge to live a slower, simpler, more contemplative life.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS IS? HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH THE CONCEPT FOR AN IMAGE OR SERIES?

It's really an evolutionary process. Many times concepts arise from situations in my personal life and the lives of the people around me. Once I have the initial idea I start to work on the feeling that I would like the image to emote and I begin to collect visual references that will help to elicit my final piece. Now I'm invested in the image and I can start mapping out the logistics; props, location, timing, and equipment. Once all of these things have been addressed it makes it a lot easier for me to get up at 5am to head out to a location because I know I'm properly prepared.

HOW MUCH OF YOUR WORK IS SPONTANEOUS AS OPPOSED TO CAREFULLY PLANNED OUT SHOTS?

Almost all of my photographs are carefully planned. Now, that said, I do spend a lot of time being at the beck and call of Mother Nature. While waiting for the right light many unplanned shots have spontaneously arisen during these meticulously planned sessions.

DO YOU PREFER SHOOTING IN THE STUDIO OR ON LOCATION?

I definitely prefer shooting on location, at least for the time being. Now ask me that at 6am when I'm scraping snow and ice off the car and my answer may differ.

THE BEACH BASKETBALL IMAGES THAT WE FEATURE ON WWW.PHOTOGRAPHYARTSTORE.COM ARE PART OF YOUR “BRINK” SERIES. EXPLAIN WHAT THE STORY OR IDEA IS BEHIND THAT SERIES?


Brink is a collection of modern photographs capturing locations at a point in time when something is likely to change or begin. The weather is always a popular topic here in Canada; because of the huge fluctuations throughout the year our activities and pastimes are constantly changing. This collection seeks to highlight the beauty of popular seasonal locations by separating their physical landscape from the emotional state we reach by being there.

THE VINEYARD SERIES WHICH “RESTING BOUNTY” & "ON THE QUIET" COME FROM WAS PART OF A EXERCISE YOU GAVE YOURSELF TO FIND BEAUTY IN WINTER. I CERTAINLY THINK YOU ACCOMPLISHED THAT BUT TELL US HOW THE IDEA CAME ABOUT?

I have a tough time with winter. I'm constantly cold from the temperature, tired from the lack of daylight, and lonely from being cooped up in the house. I wasn't just looking for beauty; I was looking for meaning and a way to overcome my least favourite season. By observing nature during the dormancy of winter I realized that it's a time to slow down and reflect on all aspects of life.

A LOT OF ARTISTS CAN’T DEAL WITH THE BUSINESS SIDE OF BEING AN ARTIST. NOT YOU. YOU TAKE THE ‘BUSINESS” SIDE OF MARKETING YOUR ART VERY SERIOUSLY. DOES THIS COME NATURALLY TO YOU OR IS IT SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO WORK AT?

Business is definitely something that, for me, takes discipline. I would love to spend my days creating beautiful imagery and have someone else take care of the marketing.

TELL ME A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR “LOVE EARTH” PROGRAM?

I think my "Love Earth" concept is more of a lifestyle. Being kind to our planet is nothing new to me; I've been looking for ways to save our earth since my childhood. I've dreamt about solar panels since I was 10 years old and I've had a strong dislike of any sort of waste for much longer than that. As far as my career goes I've practically eliminated the use of printed contact sheets and proofs for clients and I really scrutinize the packaging, marketing materials, and products that I put out into the world. I do my best to make sure that everything associated with me fits into one of two categories: 1. It is recycled/recyclable. 2. It is of quality thus drastically reducing the need for replacement.

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW? WHAT CAN WE LOOK FORWARD TO NEXT?

I'm currently working on a collection of seascape images, many of which have been captured along the shores of the Great Lakes, primarily Lake Huron and Lake Erie. These early morning and late evening photographs utilize really soft and flattering light and are minimalist in style leaving lots of room for inner reflection.