Nicolas Sisto

Paris, France

website flickr

 

What is the Tumblr “Silent Conversation” with Olga Perevalova about?

I had a conversation with Olga for three years; at first she was a stranger whom I had chosen on Flickr. The conversation consisted of only pictures: no email, Skype, phone calls or even postcards. On the first day I send her a picture, she replied on the second and we went from there, until day 365. We used a Tumblr blog to communicate. In the end I met her in St. Petersburg in October 2013.

How did it come into being? What did you like most about it?

I was reading a book about a French poet who had lost his legs during WWI; he used to have real conversations but with strangers. I wanted to try the same thing, but with photography. My favourite part about the project was that I was thinking about it everyday. Also I very much enjoyed discovering the world of a stranger through pictures. It's a bit voyeuristic, yes.

And can you tell me more about the exhibition “Collection of Escaped Minds”? Why escaped? From/to where/who?

It's a collection of portraits I have been putting together since I started to engage in fashion photography. It's a long personal project that I started when I realized that I like to stand in front of a person who forgets the presence of the photographer - and wanted to create a visual memory of it.  It seems like they escape the moment, situation or place, they are daydreaming, and I am catching that moment ... maybe I'd like to be a ghost. Thirty pictures of the collection where presented at the Art Paris Art Fair 2015 at the Grand Palais, Paris, and in association with Oksana Salamatina, my gallerist.

Are you or will you be working on a new photographic project? What is it about?

Yes, I am working on two new projects. But it's a long work process in both cases, and I can't talk about either yet.

You worked as a dark room teacher for a period. What was the most important thing you told your students?

That they need to close their eyes when they have problems developing films or images.

You are an architect as well. Do you feel that working in both of these areas - photography and architecture - helps you to develop yourself as an artist? Are there ideas you transferred from one field to the other?

I need both areas as ways to experiment with my thoughts and feelings. Architecture is a slow and complex process including a lot, maybe too many, people. Photography is quicker and is about the relationship between the photographer and the model. I chose theses two media to build a personal aesthetic, to do social research and to define my own reality.

Which city or built structure(s) has impressed you?

The Therme Vals.

Are you a flâneur or rather a ‘determined' walker?

Determined walker.

Is there a movie you liked especially for the imagery in it?

Paris, Texas.

Love is...

...elusive!

Marta Bevacqua

Paris, France

website

What does a typical day in your (work)day look like?

It really depends. What I like most about my job is that each day is different. There are the days of shootings, where I meet lots of new people every day, and do the most enjoyable part of being a photographer. Then, if I have strict deadlines, there are the days of postproduction. I then have to close myself into my world, with my music, and work all the day in front of the PC. Then again, there are days where I organize new shoots, appointments for various kinds of jobs and so on. So, actually, I can't really say how my usual day looks like; fact is that I don't think I ever have a "usual" day...

Do you enjoy working freelance? What are the best sides to it?

I answered this a little bit in the previous question; one of the best sides is that each day is different from the others. Also, I love the fact that I can organize my days and my life as I wish, having time - though but not always - to do other things, too. Of course, there are also some bad sides, but mostly I can say I really enjoy it!

The majority of your photographs take place outdoors, showing a strong connection to nature. Is this sort of portrayal something that developed over time or a preference you had early on?

It's absolutely something I've always done. I grew up in the country and I started taking photographs of trees, plants and flowers. Only after some time I started taking some portraits, and obviously I started to take them in nature, since I felt more comfortable that way. This was many years ago, and I never stopped to work in the woods and so on; so, I can say it's me, to be so connected to nature. 

What are the biggest difficulties you encountered when shooting outdoors?

Weather (if you shoot in winter, you need to be very careful to not make the model freeze), locations (sometimes the places are not as good or suitable as they appear to be in photos, so I always do a location "exploration" beforehand), and sometimes it's necessary to ask for permissions. Other times it's difficult to use dresses, because if you work with fashion designers, the dresses can get ruined by dirt or other things, and so on. I must admit: if I shoot fine art, it's ok. But with fashion photography, it's always very complicated and every time it is a real challenge!

Do you know the models personally, too? 

Not really, or, better, let me say, not all the models. It depends if they come from an agency or not.

How important is it for you to discuss the shoots with them?

Quite important; I usually invent stories to tell them, so they can understand "who they are", or portray.

What are the ups and downs of living in a city like Paris?

It's so full of everything, and that sometimes can be too much. There is a lot of movement, happenings, things to do - and that's great. But at the same time it's quite chaotic (but not as much as many other European cities). But I love it! It's my place!

What can we expect to find in your photo book? Do you plan on making a second one soon?

All of my biggest projects of 2014. And yes, I think I'll prepare a new one for the end of 2015 - or maybe even before...

If you could assemble a soundtrack for your work until now, which musicians would you include immediately?

Röyksopp, soundtracks of fantasy movies, Daft Punk and others. 

Which young artists do you follow currently? What do you like about their work?

I follow Zemotion (Zhang Jingna), whose work I like for the "painting" look of her pictures, Kiki Xue, for the deep atmospheres portrayed in his photos and a few other photographers, too!

Nathan Samuel Gauthier

 Paris, France

website beehance

 

 

You’re taking on several fields of visual art - illustration, typography, photography … Which came first? And does that shape your work today?

Ever since I was a young boy, illustration has never left me. It remains inseparable from my work. I always start a project by drawing an outline by hand - regardless of whether it is for a photo project, a layout, or, like often these days, the realization of a mask.

And which is occupying the most currently?  

The field that occupies me most of the time is typography. I earn my daily life as a graphic designer, but I try, day by day, to integrate the field of art to which I aspire.

What is the idea behind the masks? How did this project start?

The big idea behind the masks was the question of identity,  which has been preoccupying me for a long time. My first mask collection was about identity. I deliberately made no holes for the eyes and the mouth, to show with derision, how sometimes identity can be hard to bear. In the second collection of masks the question of identity is approached through a work on ritual. Rituals exist in all societies, from the most primitive to the most complex, and this seems interesting to me. I feel that rituals are the cement and foundation of social structure, and they facilitate or ensure the transition from reality to the supernatural or spiritual reality. The five rituals that I approach have the same goal, which is to guide individuals from one social state to another by creating or presenting moments which disrupt their daily routines.

If you would choose a mask that linked your own present with your past, what would it look like?

It would look like the Spartacus mask. The story behind it was to reveal the gap between rituals (past) and science (future), childhood to adulthood. The Spartacus mask connects these two worlds and these two times. It projects us into a future where rites and science will not be contradictory.

How important was it to you to work with different fabrics and textures while creating the masks? 

It was important for me to find out what will be the best materials to illustrate my point. For example, for the Pan Piper, which addresses the painful history of Gypsies, I used straw, which is the raw material of their crafts. I combined it with plastic to symbolize the stifling feeling that we can feel when we are banished by society. Before the opera, The Rite of Spring was a Russian ritual. For this mask I used fur, which, I think, can be considered one of the most representative tissues of the populations of this region of the world...

 

Was it difficult to capture the final art pieces on photographs?

The pictures have been made with the invaluable assistance of Jean Louis Bloch Lainé...  There weren't so many technical problems that would have raised issues, also because  we simply didn't have too many, but the message(s) I wanted to put convey with these photos at times made it more challenging: Have the masks to be worn by models, as one might see them in a magazine? Or should I portray them in the simplest photo possible?... I think that the pictures of my masks have a timeless posture, disconnected from the current trends of fashion.

   

What do you find most intriguing about typography?

For me, a font has its own mood and spirit. You can give a word a very formal, an old-fashioned or an exuberant spirit by simply changing the typography. Then it is very important to know how to go about choosing the font, in order to be sure that it reflects the mood that you want to show depending on the context. Typography is both a very extensive and subtle job at the same time.

Please tell us more about this art piece. 

This art piece was done during my first year studying Fine Arts. It is tightly connected to my grandfather, to his history and the history of my family, deeply marked by the deportation during the WWII. At that time, the suitcase belonged to my grandfather. I simply covered it with fur that evokes the image of hair tufts. I think I needed to express something related to my identity, which to me was and is something difficult to digest, in order to exorcize this past.

Do you ever have to put ideas on hold, afraid that you might forget about them while having to work on and finish other projects?

We are all doing lists to establish priorities! Unfortunately, artistic profession is not very lucrative and I am working as a graphic designer to earn my living. When I am working on moodboards or when I am doing research for a customer, it happens that I find elements, which could be interesting for me and could enrich my artistic job. I then put them aside until I’ll use these elements to deepen my work.

What do you think could be the most encouraging thing to say to a struggling artist?

That's something I could say to myself! Go on believing in this job, follow your own way and leave aside those who try to divert you from it. I think it is a very hard job, with a lot of competition. It's important that you learn not to push things, to follow desires and more than anything, and have fun doing this job. Otherwise, it is not worthwhile.

Your favourite dish right now? 

The couscous and meatballs my mother prepares!