Labs New Artists is a collective annual exhibition featuring international photographers unrepresented by galleries or agencies held at Red Hook Labs. At its second edition, Labs New Artists has already established itself as one of the most exciting occasion for spotting brilliant photographers and projects. This year we decided to focus on a selection of artists featured in the show to get to know them. Please enjoy – alphabetically – our Q&A with Antone Dolezal, Eli Durst, Peyton Fulford, Li Hui, Maria Lokke, Chase Middleton, Tyler Mitchell, Luis Alberto Rodriguez, Hugo Scott and Christopher Smith.
When did you start to be interested in photography?
My Father introduced me to the darkroom at age 12, but it wasn’t until I was an undergrad in art school that I became completely consumed by the medium. I remember taking a beginning photography course early on and within a few weeks switched majors. Photography allowed me to physically interact with the world around me, to engage with people I may never interact with otherwise. I still love leaving my life at home behind and living out of my pickup for 4-6 weeks at a time to make the work.
Can you talk to me about your project Part of Fortune and Part of Spirit?
This project focuses on new religious movements in the deserts of California and Nevada, a place that holds a fascinating history of secret government programs, passing transients and utopian communities. Here, these layers combine to compose a strange and imagined realm tracing the varying fragments that influence the evolution of modern-day myth. Through my research, I began to see common myths shared between differing new religious faiths and traced some of these beliefs to Eastern and Indigenous mysticism, 1940s and 50s Sci-Fi movies and turn of the 20th century astrological literature. Along with my own interactions with these groups I began to make images based upon the varying realities I was coming into contact with.
How did you come up with the tone and aesthetics of this series?
All of my projects originate from personal experience. I lived in the Southwestern United States for close to 10 years and had many friends and acquaintances who were New Age practitioners, belonged to new religious movements or who would attend peyote or ayahuasca ceremonies. I am personally interested in all of this and am fascinated with the different spiritual approaches humans take to find some kind of truth and meaning in life. When working on a project I usually allow the aesthetics to developed over the course of several years. The tone of the portraits and landscapes tend to present themselves organically over time, at which point it becomes easier to move faster in the development of making the work.
How do you develop the concepts behind a long term project?
My practice involves a period of preliminary research that includes mining institutional archives, conducting interviews, and gathering religious and literary fragments and found images. This research is followed by long stretches of time in the field making photographs that bring together, portraiture, landscape and interpretive images. All of my projects take a long time to develop conceptually, and it is a mixture of much planning and research while also allowing myself to be spontaneous in the field.
What kind of impact do you hope to have with your images?
I aim to make work that provides the viewer with a nuanced and alternative understanding of my subject matter. Photography suggests other possible realities that can provide a powerful platform for gaining insight and empathy to the world around us. Part of Fortune and Part of Spirit aims to grant access to the traumas, wonder and eccentric realities of those living just outside the periphery of popular conventions. I see myself as not only presenting the myths and histories I unearth, but also being an active participant in the evolution of their representation.
How do you choose your subjects? How do you build a connection with them?
My work lays somewhere between the realm of truth and fiction and I often seek out people who can embody both the conceptual and aesthetic qualities I am pursuing. I photograph in the traditional way of going out into the world, meeting people and if a connection is made, sitting with them for a few hours to make a portrait. I also actively seek out people who I come across in my research. So I will send emails, make phone calls and do whatever I can to convince them to get in front of my camera. If a good photographic relationship is established, we will often work together on multiple shoots over several days to make the right portrait.
What interests you most in a photograph?
I love photography’s strength when it comes to providing allegory and its ability to punctuate metaphor and highlight nuances that exist somewhere in the rifts and gaps of modern society.
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Can you talk to me about your series Connecticut Community Center?
The original idea for the series Connecticut Community Center (which is just a working title) was pretty simple: I wanted to photograph the activities that took place in church basements. I had previously been shooting outdoors, mainly during late afternoon, but it was winter in Connecticut and no one was outside because it was freezing. I wanted to photograph groups of people in action and the idea struck me when I was driving by a local church and I saw parents dropping off their kids for a Boy Scout meeting. I reached out to different churches and community centers in search of organizations or activities that would let me photograph them, including Boy Scouts, New Age spiritual practices, team building seminars, church youth groups, and community theater troupes among others. After several months of making pictures, I realized that I was less interested in faithfully documenting different group activities and much more interested in what happened when I juxtaposed images from these disparate activities, creating a new symbolic space, a half-real, half-imagined community that was constantly searching for meaning in a world so resistant to interpretation.
How did you develop the concept and the narrative behind it?
As far as developing projects, I’m constantly reading and researching things that interest me but I find that the more rewarding and satisfying projects grow much more organically. With this project, for instance, it started with an extremely simple premise but shifted and expanded as I worked. In general, I think my favorite bodies of work result less from pre-meditated concepts and more from experimentation and reaction and learning from every shoot.
What kind of impact do you hope to have with your images?
I guess my only real hope for the impact of the photographs is that they somehow complicate or confuse the viewers’ understanding of the world. I want to make photographs that are more questions than answers, provocations not reductions.
What is the role of documentary photography now?
I think the role of documentary photography now is the same as it ever was, to think critically about the world in a visual way. I really don’t consider myself a documentary photographer though. I’m interested in the language of documentary photography and its unique relationship to our idea of truth—it has a powerful authority. I’m interested in making photographs that can slip between visual languages, from documentary to cinematic and back again. I’m fascinated by the tension that results from such a shift; a tension the hopefully questions the viewers’ preconceived notions of reality, performance, and identity.
What emerging photographers you admire? Who are your masters?
Some of the artists that really drew me to photography are Michael Schmidt, Collier Schorr, Larry Sultan, ad Mark Steinmetz to name a few. These are some of the artists that, having learned about in school, I deeply admired and tried desperately to emulate. I don’t know if they count as “emerging,” but some younger photographers who I really enjoy are Deana Lawson and Martin Kollar.
How much do social and political issues influence your work?
Social issues have always played an important role in my work. One of the main reasons that I was originally drawn to photography was its ability to address social and political issues without oversimplification. If you make photographs in the world in the United States, you’ll inevitably confront issues of race, class, gender, and the environment whether you intend to or not. I’ve always loved photography because I feel like it gives me the ability to make something that is smarter than I am. I learn about the world when I make photographs — my successful photographs are smarter than me because the world is so much more interesting than I am.
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How did you choose photography as your medium?
As far back as I can remember, I have always had an interest in photography. However, I did not realize I could do photography as a career until I was around 19 years old. In college, I was a Chemistry major before I switched to Studio Art. In my first photo class, I was intrigued to learn about the chemical processes of developing and printing film. Immediately, I became interested in the medium because of its crossover between chemistry and visual storytelling.
What would you say are the main themes of your work?
Through narrative portraiture, my work focuses on youth subcultures in the southern region of the United States with an emphasis on intimacy, identity, and religion.
How much do social and political issues influence your work?
Because my work is heavily rooted in the LGBTQ+ community, social and political issues naturally become a part of the photographs. I would consider each image I make regarding queer youth in the American South to be a form of visual activism.
What excites you most in a photograph?
It can vary from picture to picture. I would say a few elements that excite me the most about a photograph are the atmospheric quality that exists within the frame, the connection between photographer and subject, and the visceral documentation of the human condition.
Which photographers you admire?
I see many emerging photographers equal to, if not more inspiring than the masters. Today, there are many images being created by new artists that have been highly influential on the way I approach my photographic process. To name a few, some being new to the game and others having more years of experience, Molly Matalon, Angalis Field, Francesca Allen, Andrew Lyman, Igor Pjorrt, Laura Pannack, Sian Davey, Harley Weir, Susan Worsham, Viviane Sassen, Carolyn Drake, Gregory Halpern, Steven Beckly, Rineke Dijkstra, and Nan Goldin.
Do you have any boundaries when it comes to take a picture?
I think the photographer and subject always have some boundaries. It is part of being human. However, I think it is the photographer’s job to push past those boundaries in a consensual manner. Once the boundaries no longer limit the art of making an image, that is when something extraordinary can be born.
What kind of impact do you hope to have with your images?
My intention is to empower others and create an accepting space for queer kids that grow up in small towns and rural areas. With my work, I hope to bring more awareness and resources to marginalized communities.
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How did you choose to purse photography?
I started photography after I got my first film camera in 2009 because I was so fascinated by double exposure. I wanted to figure out how the magic happened. I would say my interest in photography is in experimenting, which I believe inspires creativity. I was happy just taking pictures but I also wanted to learn more. And that made me become a self-taught photographer.
How did you develop your style and aesthetics?
I’m not trying to consciously pursue a particular style. I always experiment with new equipment and technology. I hope that from looking at my pictures you can get a clear understanding of my preferences. I approach my work with a clear attitude. When I get interested in a specific topic, I always go deeper to find out more. I feel all my interests are somehow connected to each other, and I do have my own kind of aesthetic that comes naturally. The remaining qualities of my work will continue to form based on what I’m into at a particular point in time.
What interests you most in a photograph?
When I take pictures I feel like I’m making sense of all these ideas that have accumulated in my mind during my time off. I work with film because it’s exciting to me to depend on my own imagination without immediately seeing the result. It’s like my own mind is turning into a photograph.
When does something become art?
Art comes from feeling a connection with your mind and finding something meaningful, touching, unique, regardless of the art form you choose.
Where do you get your inspiration?
I’m a very curious person. I’ve always been fascinated by nature and by worlds beyond our imagination, which is the reason why I wanted to become a photographer. I am occasionally influenced by ambient music and coming-of-age movies, but I also get a lot of inspiration in the process of experimenting with various optical illusions. Mysticism also plays an important part. But sometimes, inspiration simply comes when I’m surprised by natural surroundings or by new things around me.
What goes through your mind when you are framing a shot?
I feel like all of a sudden the world is frozen, time is slowing down, my heart is completely calm, and the resulting picture is already floating around in my mind.
Which photographers you admire?
I feel related to Marton Perlaki’s world. Recently I have been influenced by Félix Vallotton and György Kepes.
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How did your interest in photography start?
I had an interest in cameras starting as a kid. When I was in first grade or so I used my mom’s point-and-shoot camera to take pictures of my pet guinea pig all dressed up in scenes I made out of dollhouse furniture, lol. I eventually took a darkroom class in middle school, my friends and I would take pictures of each other at K-Mart or TMZ style pics of the cute upperclassmen we had crushes on and make very cringeworthy collages for each other’s lockers.
How did you develop your style and aesthetics?
Although I got an early start in middle school and high school photo class, I dropped off in college, focusing on art history and painting. I wasn’t really drawn back into photography until after school, when I got a job working in The New Yorker’s photo department as an assistant. I think it’s a combination of those two things, a background in painting and a solid exposure to a pretty rigorous editorial approach to photography that informs how I think about taking pictures now.
How much are you trying to convey a message with your images?
I’m not really trying to convey any specific message. There are certain themes that are interesting to me that I sometimes look for in things and people. I think the fact that pictures can contain messages is very interesting to me, but I lose interest when things start to get too reductive.
You are also an editor and a curator: how these experiences influenced your artistic practice?
Definitely a huge influence. As a photo editor – maybe you can relate – I’ve spent many daylight hours on gettyimages.com or the like searching for pictures. I’m fascinated by these image databases, my time spent combing through stock photography has had a massive impact on my work. I’m really interested in the labor involved in photo editing, the work behind producing or finding the right image to convey an idea or mood. And moreover, the work we ask pictures to do. Similarly, my time spent working with all kinds of different photographers, editors, and photo directors has been an education for me. I’ve been lucky to work with some really incredibly smart and talented people over the years, who have taught me so much – technically, critically, philosophically, about what goes into making pictures and how they are used.
what would you say are the main themes of your work?
I’m interested in the throwaway nature of the authorless stock image, a copy with value but without a clear source. I love thinking about these image collections as indexes of pre-formed visual thoughts-for-hire. How some of these pictures came to be is fascinating to me, like that classic image of a “hacker”, a dude wearing a hoodie in shadow at a laptop. Many many people made that image, over and over again, there are probably three thousand versions of it on Getty, why? This idea, that some “ideal” image could be found or made for a certain purpose, and is constantly sought and re-sought, is a current theme I’m drawn to. I’m interested in the thin line between commercial and editorial photography, the catalogue aesthetic, and the double nature of a photo as both necessary tool and disposable object feeding a ceaseless news and seasonal commerce cycle.
What emerging photographers you admire? Who are your masters?
Masters would include Deanna Lawson, Tina Barney, Torbjorn Rodland, Christopher Williams, Roe Ethridge, Paul Outerbridge, Nan Goldin, I just read a great essay on Julia Margaret Cameron by Janet Malcolm that I’ve been thinking a lot about. Janet Malcolm is amazing – she’s not a photographer but her writing on photography has been really inspiring to me lately. Also David LaChappelle, William Wegman! Not sure if I’d call them emerging, but some really inspiring young photographers for me: Buck Ellison, Eva O’Leary, David Brandon Geeting, Charlie Engman, Brea Souders, Sarah Cwynar, Chris Maggio, Damien Maloney, Eric Ruby, Caroline Tompkins…there are lot here.
What interests you most in a photograph?
Ha! I wish I could articulate this better. I think the thing I like the most about photography is it’s capacity to surprise and feel new, despite the incredible quantity of images out there.
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How did you interest in photography started?
After a dinner party when I was eight years old, where my father managed to drink an unreasonable amount. He woke up embarrassed and in an attempt to make things up to me he took me to a store the next day and bought me a camera.
To what degree your upbringing influenced the way you take pictures?
I grew up in a family with a publicly composed demeanor – all drama unfolded behind closed doors. As a child I was privy to peek through those doors and listen through the walls and today I remain equally as voyeuristic. There was also a highly religious side to my family. Notions of ritual and the otherworldly have been a constant motif throughout my work and personal life.
What is the most thought-provoking and challenging picture you took in your opinion?
The most challenging picture for me to take is always the next one.
Do you have any boundaries when it comes to take a picture?
Boundaries are for the weak.
Are you interested in the reactions that your work induce in the viewers?
I like the idea of making the viewer uncomfortable. In an age where we are surrounded by homogenized pablum it’s nice to feel something.
What passes through your mind when you are framing a shot?
I am generally thinking something along the lines of, I hope I am not disappointed with the outcome of this.
What is the preparation process for your images?
I spend a lot of my time compulsively writing lists. I carry a small notebook with lists in my handbag, I tape them to my walls in my studio and I keep one under my pillow for when I wake up in the morning. The lists exist in different categories such as; distressing things, objects of interest, colors of desire, elegant rooms, peoples names and numbers ect.
What kind of art inspires you the most?
Ikebana and Italo disco.
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How and when your interest in photography started?
I’ve always been an extremely visual person. I could always see better and see things from farther away than other people. I’m not saying that to brag I just say that mean I think I had some high level of spatial awareness that even I couldn’t understand. My dad always would show me Hitchcock movies against my mom’s rules. And he would drag me to art house movies in Atlanta. I loved movies and filmmaking first. But serious professional photography never became an option until after I was in Havana, Cuba halfway through film school at NYU. The colors and the way I saw people move in Havana was so poetic that I turned the photos into my first photography book. From there everything opened up. People started to asking me to take photos for their magazines, brands, little projects etc.
Do you have any boundaries when it comes to take a picture?
Sure. There should always be boundaries.
How much do social and political issues influence your work?
I like what Arthur Jafa said about artists operating “in a different space – one that’s unconscious on a certain level, and symbolic.” I think that’s how I try to operate. I am really into politics but I also believe it is not a requirement to be an artist and an activist. Sometimes I just like to make stuff that feels great. Sometimes it’s influenced by social and political issues. But mostly I am just trying to express myself autobiographically in images. And talk about the ins and outs of being black and what that entails and is entangled with.
We are living in a quite difficult political time with the rise of populism and far right extremism. What is the role of the artists in this circumstances?
Photography can most certain have an impact on the political climate! But as I said it doesn’t have to either. It’s a difficult time but it’s also not the worst time there’s ever been. I find it enlightening and optimistic to keep pushing forward and make better shit.
Do you think there’s a lack of diversity in the photography world?
I think it’s a generally a pretty good moment for diversity in photography. I was chatting with a master analog printer in London. He told he’s printing more black skin in fashion photographers work in the past 4 months than maybe the past 5 years altogether. We are working on this whole diversity thing on all fronts. Is there a lack still? Sure. But I think it goes a little deeper than that. This word representation has been tossed around a lot in interviews. It’s buzzy and I get that. But there’s a lot more considerations we should be making than simply how to improve diversity or representation in photography. It is not enough to simply ‘be diverse’ or have a black, brown, or latinx person in your photo. It’s much more impressive to live being diverse – to listen to others backgrounds even if that makes you uncomfortable. It’s much more more challenging to consider not just who is in front the camera, but who is behind it as well. And to consider how people want to be (and should be) depicted, and all the historical symbolism and baggage that comes with photographing ‘diversity.’ I think this is the future of diversity in photography.
What emerging photographers you admire? Who are your masters?
Emerging I like this girl Arielle Bob Willis – her work feels super Tumblr generation. I love that. We got together an had a 4 hour conversation the other day about the role of Tumblr in our upbringing and our photos. As far as masters too many to name… Eggleston, Jamel Shabazz, James Vanderzee, Spike Lee, Harley Weir, Gordon Parks, Liz Johnson Artur… list goes on.
What are you currently working on?
Honestly a lot. A new book soon – it feels like I’m in album mode. I also have an art film coming out. And I just want to continue the collaborations I’m doing with the people I work with.
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Can you talk to me about your project SPECTACULAR HOME?
SPECTACULAR HOME is an ongoing body of work, created in my ancestral home of the Dominican Republic, reflecting on the nature of identity while revisiting cultural signifiers in search of corporal emancipation. The birthday party, an early childhood memory is the point of departure for this iteration of the series. Many cultural signifiers are encapsulated and passed down in this one event: joy, rhythm, creativity, light, generosity, resourcefulness, discomfort, and perseverance. The work asks: What if there is little to no space between the celebrated and the celebration? What if the body is at peace with the claustrophobic feeling of having all of the attention? What if the body could manifest itself into the hallmarks of celebration? In SPECTACULAR HOME a sense of chaos is created reflecting the love and simultaneous discomfort of ceremony. Perhaps all of the glitter and sweetness is just a shell for the cavity rotting inside? After living abroad for most of my adult life as a professional dancer I have a deep interest in how the human body paired with specific materials and movement can navigate cultural norms and express resistance. As a gay American/Dominican man working largely within a white context I use the series to question conformity and belonging. Due to a history of white supremacy and the effects of colonialism, many Dominicans do not identify with their blackness. I examine this in the series by focusing on various aspects of Dominican culture. The continuation will include how women use their hair as a tool and symbol of belonging – straightening and burning their hair to escape their identity. I will also craft and photograph a series of monumental heroes using black subjects and found materials to rewrite the Dominican people’s understanding of their history. The series becomes an archive of celebration, a reclamation of existence.
What is the current state of diversity in the photography world? And in fashion in particular?
I wouldn’t necessarily say there is a lack of diversity in the photography world. I’d like to think there are people all over the world making photographs at any given moment; especially now with so many people owning smart phones. Within a western context, perhaps, it is more a question of whose stories are valued important enough to be pushed to the forefront? What narratives are being told of a particular underrepresented group by an other dominant group? I would say in fashion photography, however– ABSOLUTELY yes– there is a lack of representation not only in front of the lens but but behind the lens and all over the spectrum. Not only is this shameful because of the enormous contributions black and brown people have made to fashion and the world in general, but because the heads of these fashion houses have enormous power in influencing culture and shaping public opinion. I happen to think large institutions are now realizing they can not get away with an all white team for example and that it is even profitable for the company to have a diverse team making decisions. Consumers see them as being inclusive and that is profitable. It’s unfortunate however that without much push back these institutions would not budge from their status quo. I think with the democratization of culture in the internet and initiatives such as Red Hook Labs and others, more opportunities are being given to photographers from all corners of the world to share their stories. I have hopes we are on our way to a more vibrant and eclectic photographic community.
How much do social and political issues influence your work?
In the political climate we are living in I think it’s impossible to escape politics and identity. As a brown man I am confronted everyday with someone reminding me of their perceptions of me. My observations of this affect my psyche -seeping into my instincts- shaping my choices as I press the shutter. Perhaps my work is somewhat reactionary? I wouldn’t say my work is dictated by the news cycle but rather an escape into an imagined utopia. We all are in this together, breathing the same air and I can not not be affected. In Spectacular Home for example, I have an opportunity to give visibility to my culture and my history bringing blackness to the fore front which has very much been brushed aside on the island (Dominican Republic) due to a white supremacy and therefore a colonized mentality. I would say that it itself is political.
What is the role of documentary photography now?
I think the role of documentary photography is today the same as it’s always been. To provide the world with visual representations of untold stories. Documenting this particular moment in history and supply the future with evidence
What emerging photographers you admire? Who are your masters?
In terms of emerging photographers, I feel very proud to be in the company of such a talented group at this years Red Hook Labs. There is a vast field of talented voices out there.
Masters – Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Martha Graham, Pina Bausch, Nina Simone, Alvin Ailey, David Bowie, George Balanchine, Gelsey Kirkland, Robert Mapplethorpe, Gordon Parks, Malick Sidibe, William Forsythe, Lucille Ball, Jose Extravaganza.
What kind of impact do you hope to have with your images?
I can only hope that with the work I do I can inspire a dream, and a conversation.
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How and when your interest in photography started?
As a teenager – looking at my Dad’s 35mm Kodachromes and Ektachromes through a Pana Vue viewer – I was hooked!
Can you talk to me about your project On the Edge of Town?
Its an ongoing documentary and portrait series. Incorporating varied formats of film and photography, recording culture and life on the margins of society, across the globe.
Do you have any boundaries when it comes to take a picture?
Respect and Empathy are the most important factors for me when determining the boundaries of a photographic situation. I also believe engaged participation is essential in portrait situations.
How much do social and political issues influence your work?
They influence it Consciously and Subconsciously enormously.
We are living in a quite difficult political time with the rise of populism and far right extremism. What is the role of the artists in this circumstances? Do you think that photography can have an impact?
Yes. I think a photograph can still be very impactful – Presently and historically, Art and Artists have the inherent ability and great opportunity to portray social and political messages through their work. It is an important and fundamental role of art – to challenge.
What photographers caught your eye recently?
Mark Steinmetz and Deana Lawson are two people whose projects have been extremely inspiring recently. I also got to see a soon to be published project by Tyrone and Frank Lebon – it was the best thing i have seen for ages. For Masters – Pieter Hugo, Mary-Ellen Mark, Mitch Epstein and Danny Lyon. I got to see Stephen Shore at work on a project last year which was wonderful.
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How and when did your interest in photography start?
I think it really first started when I got one of my first cellphones and began taking pictures of myself when I was 15. I know it sounds silly now, because ‘selfies’ are so ubiquitous but at the time it was quite a thrill to be able to see and express myself in ways that I hadn’t before, sexy, glamorous, etc. and I began crudely experimenting with backgrounds and lighting in my room. I was still in the closet at the time and taking the pictures was really a release for me. Soon after that I got a compact digital camera and really began trying to learn how to take good pictures. I was too shy to ask other people to pose for me, because I felt I didn’t know what I was doing so I continued using myself and experimenting with different techniques and types of imagery.
How did you develop your aesthetics?
Well, I began looking at many great photographers online and in books and I was really copying them all for a long time and taking many [bad] pictures on my own. I never shared them with people, because I knew I was still learning and I didn’t really think they were any good yet. Eventually, after quite a few years of looking at so much imagery I felt comfortable enough to be a lot more discerning in terms of deciding which kinds of imagery and image makers I liked and what inspired me and what didn’t. That’s really when I felt I had found my own voice and soon after I began to share my pictures with an audience on Instagram which I got in 2016.
How much of yourself do you look for when taking pictures?
Well, even though I’m in all the images I don’t really think any of them are an accurate representation of the ‘real’ me. I feel like I’m just acting as a stand-in for the various characters and situations in my head that I’d like to photograph.
Do you try to convey any message with your images?
I’m not consciously trying to convey any messages. If people see messages that resonate with them in the work, that’s great, but it’s not something I think about.
Do you have any boundaries when it comes to take a picture?
No, not in terms of content.
What emerging photographers do you admire? Who are your masters?
I really admire many of the older photographers, especially those from the 20s and 30s. Horst is probably my favourite. Nadar is also so good. Then I also really like guys like Baron Adolph De Meyer and Cecil Beaton who photographed society men and women in really elaborate and glamourous portraits. I think all these photographers really worked hard to make sure that their pictures were good. I mean every detail from the lighting and compositions to the colours, the backdrops, the clothes, the makeup and hair was so well-thought out because they really wanted to make sure they got a good picture, it wasn’t left to chance. I don’t really see that amount of thought put into many pictures today.
How much do social and political issues influence your work?
They don’t. Not consciously at least.
Are you interested in the reactions that your work induces in viewers?
I’m interested in passing, but it’s not something I focus too much on. People see all sorts of things in the images and I think it’s great how varied the interpretations and reactions can be.
What is the preparation process for your images?
Well, I can have a vague idea floating around in my head for a couple of days, or even weeks and months. I build the image step by step for a while, thinking about the content, the colours, the light etc. Sometimes I buy things for the images, like props or makeup and stuff. The actual set-up process before the images is usually like 15 minutes when I sit down and put everything together and do the hair, makeup and clothes, and the backgrounds. The ‘doing’ doesn’t take as much time as the building in my head beforehand, depending how detailed the image in my head is.
What interests you most about photographs?
They allow me to create and see types of people and situations that I’d never see ordinarily, it’s a way of visualizing my own fantasies.
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Artists include:
Antone Dolezal, US; Eli Durst, US; Peyton Fulford, US; Matthew Genitempo, US; Rudi Geyser, SOUTH AFRICA; Li Hui, CHN; Andrew Jacobs, US; Brendan George Ko, CAN; Kovi Konowiecki, US; Maria Lokke, US; Daniel Jack Lyons, US; Pat Martin, US; Chase Middleton, AUS; Tyler Mitchell, US; Diego Moreno, MEX; John Francis Peters, US; Luis Alberto Rodriguez, GER; Scandebergs, UK; Marcus Schäfer, UK; Hugo Scott, UK; Christopher Smith, SOUTH AFRICA; Renate Ariadne Van Der Togt, UK; Drew Vickers, US; Juyan Wang, UK; Logan White, US.
Opening reception: June 13, 6-9pm
Gallery Hours: 10am-6pm (daily)
Red Hook Labs
133-135 Imlay Street Brooklyn, New York 11231
+1 718 797 1103
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