Can you tell us more about your background and what inspired you to become an artist and photographer?
As a small child, I was always attracted to art and was really into drawing. Later on, my interest in art gave way to a life routine of work and relationships, but the drive to create art and use it to express my thoughts and ideas was always there. I discovered photography by chance when I received a small digital pocket camera. What I really liked about it was how I could immediately see what was captured on the digital display. Rather than using it for documenting landscapes or family photos, I became fascinated with taking macro photographs and experimenting with all the light and shadow settings this camera had available. Over the years, I bought DSLR cameras and my hobby evolved into the photographic work I do now. I am quite shy by nature and the camera helps me to express my thoughts and provide commentary on what’s going on in the world.
Your work involves food and many other ordinary objects found around the home. What inspires you to use them, and is anything off-limits?
The White Series photographs of everyday objects came from an experiment with new lighting equipment that I bought during the pandemic. As an artist and photographer, I constantly want to push myself to improve and push the limits of what’s possible. But as the pandemic seriously restricted my outside activities, I had no choice but to create something from the few resources I had at my disposal at home and at the supermarket. The photographic style that evolved from this period helped transform these elementary objects into something more interesting and gave them a bit of an attitude, or personality if you will.
Can you share more about the process of how an image gets created?
There are times when I create a picture spontaneously within an hour or so but there are also these moments that require thoughtful planning where it may take a few weeks to develop an idea. I'm just waiting for the right moment. After I select an object, I create a set and play around with lighting. This allows me to examine the subject to be photographed from all directions so I can find the right angle and position which I then slightly alter. Careful observation and an openness to the unexpected is what inspires me. I constantly seek the viewer's attention and try to provoke the way they see things.
How would you describe your work?
My photographic language is characterized by precisely staged razor-sharp images and a hyper-realistic look. This effect is accomplished by using light to create shadows and highlighted textures. Depth and composition are also important elements in my work. Similar to the level of detail apparent in Renaissance still-life paintings does my work highlight the slightest details. The longer you stare at the image, the more information it divulges. Overall the concept off my work is about opposites with clean aesthetic on one end and complete chaos on the other.