I'm wiser now

To: Jeanne, really sorry to miss you here, maybe maybe something could be done anyway. /Dr C.

Three

dreaminess and mist

“I don’t care about making photography an art. I want to make
good photographs. I’d like to know who first got it into his head
that dreaminess and mist is art.”
Edward Steichen, 1923

diffrent...

lunch conversation

picture by Bengt Hanson

naiveté

picture by Ulla Larsson

It's just the nearness of you

invited guest: Mariusz Forecki - BlueBox

BlueBox is TV technique, which uses blue background. Person filmed at this background is then digitaly cropped out and pasted into totally new reality.
For many years we lived in well known world. And suddenly, everything had changed.

I am honoured to present Mariusz Forecki - one of most important Polish photographers, person who writes subjective chronicles of Polish transformation.

Mariusz Forecki is interested in social photography. He documents the changes of Polish reality since 1990. Mariusz realized many projects: New religions in Polnd – Krishna belivers, New wonderful world, Close to us, BlueBox and Outside Paradise.
Mariusz work was many times noticed and awarded in most important in Poland contests (several times Polish Press Photo, Newsweek, etc…) and by most important photographic institutions.
Mariusz works at self-created TAMTAM Agency.

Rest of Blue Box series you may find here.

Invited by Marcin Górski supported by Staszek Heyda

Oh no, not again!

Picture by Joakim Ahnfelt

Street Photography in Abbekås

proudly present:

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

at

teater kapija
may-june 2007
exhibition may 19th, 14 hours
with soda, snacks and a some musical activities...

Five street photographers from Stockholm: Alf Johansson, Bengt Björkbom,
Conny Lundberg, Krister Kleréus and Ulf Börjesson show black and white
images at Teater Kapija, Abbekås in Skåne.

Street Photography is an exceptional form of photography. The images
often mirror the every-day ‘theater’ that takes play at our streets and
squares. Warmth, human actions and measures are often in focus. But
even daily portraits and strictly graphical images portray the image of
the urban society.

This group of photographers met at www.fotosidan.se and thereafter in
real life, discussing images, established photographers and the opportunity
of exhibitions. Now the group has decided to join the Theater of Kapija, in
Skåne, with a brilliant display of 50 images.

Sincerely
Mladen, Janna and Dragan

TEATERKAPIJA
Örmölla 321
274 56 Abbekås
Sweden
info@kapija.com
www.kapija.com

that´s entertainment

From a series called "That´s Entertainment" by photographer
Patrick Romero, Hollywood.

invited guest: Dorota Wróblewska - Dreamland

Spring just exploded, time of unlimited joy of children started. I see everywhere crazy colors. I thought works of Dorota Wróblewska perfectly illustrate what happens those days. This is how I remember my childhood and this is the way I wish Filip will.

Process of picture making in my case is completely subconscious, I disconnect logic thinking and use free association technique.

Presented project shows my return to light-hearted time of childhood. I used toy camera for its realization.
Student of European Academy of Photography, I like red wine and jazz.

You may find more works of Dorota on her site www.sublimacja.com

invited by Marcin Górski

Forgotten Ponies - a collaboration between Rhonda Prince and GC

Meeting Angèle Etoundi Essamba

Picture by ©Mikael Jansson

I’ve always been fascinated by the human being. And my aim is to depict the human being the way I see him, and this is what I have wanted to immortalize. I could have chosen nature, but I have decided to focus on the human being, black people and black women.

We meet Angèle on the fourth floor in Kulturhuset where her pictures are to be exhibited. The images are already in place and I can’t help approaching one picture that has stayed in my mind ever since I first saw it. She tells me that it’s a self-portrait titled “Waterfalls”. There is a bright sunlight falling in front of the photographer’s own face. For the beholder it has a somewhat mythical expression. I see a woman looking down into a volcano finding strength from this window of the inner Earth.

Looking at her images we see objects such as masks, trees and a kalebas and how they relate to the black woman. Being part of the African culture and representing the photographer’s own cultural heritage – the items are important symbols to show in interaction, and in a dialogue with the depicted women.

Picture by ©Angèle Etoundi Essamba

Many of her pictures are showing black models against a black background. Two of them are taken against a white background. Asking her about her choice she says that she mainly has produced images taken against a black background.

-I prefer a background free from other elements because it lets me get into the essence of what I want to show my audience.

The black background and the mixing of black and white are central in her work. So is her portraying of the black, African woman.

I do have a strong need to show the strength, the awareness and the pride of the African women, something that is far from the exotic, oppressed and stereotypical image. I miss these images around me, so it became important for me to show them.

Angèle left Cameroon when she was only ten years old and then lived in Paris until she at the age of twenty settled down in Amsterdam. But although she has spent most of her lifetime in Europe her pictures are giving us the African perspective. At least at a first glance.

My main inspiration comes from my African heritage. Between the ages of 12-20 I wasn’t thinking about going to Africa. But then it hit me, I needed to go back. It has become very important to me. But when I am in Africa I miss Amsterdam, and the other way around. For me it is like living in between two worlds.

The reality of living in between two worlds is something she shares with many people in the big cities of Europe. Angèle Etoundi Essamba tells us about it in her own unique way.

Picture by Mikael Jansson

Among the influences she mentions African photographers Sedou Keita and Malik Sidibé from the 1950’s. -They were pioneers trying to show their culture and its people in their own way. In Africa at the moment there are male photographers emerging, but not many women. Fine art photography is something new in Africa, we have manifestations for example the biennale in Bamako but it’s hard.

It is important to me to develop my own way of thinking through fine art photography. And to show a young generation that it is possible and that you can make a living out of it.

When we discuss the style of photography she represents, she mentions the mise en scène as a central theme in her work.- All of my photographs are very carefully composed and symmetrically arranged, she says.

Angèle mentions Man Ray (he was a genius!) and Robert Mapplethorpe as two photographers that have inspired her throughout the years.

Asking about her relation to fashion photography we talk about the time when Alexy Brodovitch was the art director of Harpers Bazaar and hired photographers like Man Ray, Avedon, Brassai and Lisette Model:

- Fashion photography interests me. I think it has to do with the aesthetics and influences can be found in my work. And of course I love fashion.

Picture by © Angèle Etoundi Essamba

This is the photographer’s first exhibition in Stockholm, but she has exhibited extensively in Europe before. Apart from showing her work across the continent and the rest of the world she promotes herself through representation by galleries and through here own website

Her photo technique is traditional; she uses the analogue process and takes all her photos with small format cameras such as Minolta and Nikon. The copies have been made in the same lab for twenty years time.

The exhibition Pride and Strength opening today 12 May will be on all summer in Kulturhuset, Stockholm. Go and see it!

/Ulf Fågelhammar
(thank you Daniel Nordin for your assistance in realizing this interview)

Angèle was an invited guest on the F Blog on 26 April 2007

As a big family

Magdalena Sokalska: Białystok - one day

May 1st 2004 was a special day for Poland and 9 other countries of Eastern and Central Europe - first day in European Union. Group of recognised Polish photographers, motivated by Grzegorz Dąbrowski, and supported by several institutions decided to document this first day in EU on BW negatives. Action called "Białystok - one day" was lasting 24 hours. Photographers spent whole day portraiting the people, the city, the atmosphere of this special day - 3 years ago already. Today they say - it was worth to make this document.I am happy to share with you part of this project, historical pictures made by one of the participants of this event: Magdalena Sokalska. You have already a chance to see some pictures from this action made by Staszek Heyda.

Magda is talented, young Polish photographer. She finnished Warsaw School of Photography, and now terminates studies at Creative Photography Institute in Opava (Czech Republic).
Recently all of her energy she utilise for Gliwice House of Photography and organization of Gliwice Photo Month.
We'll talk of Magda soon more.

Here you can find more pictures made this day by other photographers participating in this event.

invited by Marcin Górski

Silence by Monika Brand

I am pleased to have Monika with us again . This is a great serie
of pictures, I am thrilled to see such good photography. Monika says:
The story behind is very simple. I had the idea to take some silent
and surrealistc images in a milky bath and my beloved daughter was
enthusiatic by that idea. So we did it and we were pleased by the results.

She forgot to mention that she used TriX for these pictures.
What else is there? Well, there is Rollei R3 for example that
she used for the medium format pictures here. ;)
-urbano