"I grew
up in Daugavpils. A traumatized, post-soviet city in Latvia right
next to the border. Largely populated by Russians; an
aftermath of Russification."
"I have
a bachelor's degree in Audiovisuals and Theatre Arts, and right now I am
studying different things in different places – contemporary
photography, multimedia design – as well as gaining self-education
in whatever fuels my interest at that given moment."
"I
mainly shoot digital, but recently I feel, ever so often, the need to use
film. In most cases processing doesn't
require that much time, you don't have to check your 50 last taken
photos on a screen display to ensure whether any of them are
worthwhile, thereby ending up missing what’s happening around you. When using analogue you take care in thought and preparation, before
finally pushing the button, spending more time observing,
investigating and connecting with the surrounding. In a time when the
creation of an image has become such a fast process that doesn't
require any training or background knowledge, when speed and quantity
have become more important than profundity and quality, it seems
crucial to me, taking the time to stop and think, wherein the essence
of analogue photography prevails."
"I
have become considerably passionate about photography rather
recently. I obtained my first photo camera (Canon 400D) no more than
six years ago. Actually it was an accident. I found it in a café and
asked those around whether it belongs to anyone but an owner was
nowhere to be found. I even published an ad about the camera but
nobody responded. For some time I was even afraid to touch it as I
didn't consider it mine. However, I slowly started to use it to
capture my friends, relatives, streets, trips - there were a lot of
simple pictures. I liked to push the button and capture the tiny
details – smiles, anger and fright: emotions in general, bodies and
silhouettes and the landscapes – indulging the fog flooded streets of 5
am mornings. All pictures were made without intent. I didn't think
about composition, colours, the messages and ideas, etc. It has been
only two years since I have started to take photography seriously
which was when I decided to enter the School of Contemporary
Photography and now there's just a few months left until the school’s
graduation exhibition."
"When
I pick up the camera, I feel like something awakes inside me - curiosity
and indulgence in research reach unfamiliar highs, the infatuated
desire to find out what hides beyond the horizon. The process of
taking photos develops attention and observation. When I shoot I
forget about myself. It's like I am inside and outside the situation
at the same time. To put it simply, my mind immediately perceives the
world differently. Through such distancing I feel greater objects
approach. I become braver with a camera in my hands. It is
a unique way of communication, of knowing yourself and the outer world.
However, I don't dare to call myself a photographer no matter how much time has passed. I will always feel like I haven't
learned enough to earn that title."
"There is a desire to discover, a tendency to investigate and at the same time the
interest in construction of new meanings. I mainly take photographs
of my younger sister and brother. through them, I try to reveal the way
they perceive the world and the relationship between the two of them,
identity in development, alone and together. I plan to put out a book
in five years or so, a chronicle of how they changed as they grew
older."
"I
have many self-portraits. They are a way to practice. This summer I
had a task of taking daily photographs of myself doing household,
everyday, routine activities. Others write diaries about their
daily life, but I feel a greater interest in making visual imprints.
My
photographs are never just about the body as an object, they're a way
of abandoning isolation and meeting with other interpretations of
oneself that have appeared over time. By using intimate observation
to try and achieve
honesty towards myself.
What attracts me to the outer world are the things that scare others,
cause unrest, discomfort, revolt, introversion, and the inability to
unwind."
"Right
now light is one of the most important things to me. There
would be no shadows, contrasts, or borders without light. The light
itself attracts me due to its variability and its ability
to emphasize or choose not to, with peculiar relation towards different
objects in different environments. I mainly feel attraction towards
natural light sources, especially when it inspires me to
play with the position of my body in relation to the light and the
dark in the room."
"Frankness
and the continuous process of acquiring new knowledge - these things
are very important to me. Photography is one of those areas that I
would like to know everything about. I believe that there are many
things that I should learn - the more
I learn the more often I come to realize how many educational
opportunities still exist and how important to me it is to dig and go
even deeper. I feel enthusiastically intrigued with the creation of an
image. It is one of the most exciting processes I
know – how the connection between a cold, deadpan device and the
touch of a human can create a whole new world, new ideas, emotions,
change beliefs, drive thoughts, to tell previously unknown things, to
change oneself."
(interview by Carli Vogel)
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