Pere Ibanez is a Spanish artist who mostly focuses on art photography. He lives in Beijing, China. In this interview he discusses his passion for art photography, what makes a good photograph, and I.See.Dark, his art book project.
Let’s find out what art photography really is!
Art and photography are your passions. How did it all start?
I studied Film and Scriptwriting in Barcelona, and since then I’ve been shifting between film and photography, favoring the later for it’s speed and freedom. I don’t like being restrained because of budget limitations or tight schedules as it usually happens in the film industry. With photography I organise and work in almost absolute freedom, this way I can really focus and the quality of the work isn’t compromised.
What makes a good photograph? What are some of its most important features?
I believe that every person will have different standards in what comes to quality, but I can tell you what I try to achieve with my own works and I expect to find in others.
Any photographer would say that from a technical point of view, light and composition are basic in order to create a visually balanced piece. But being honest I don’t see photography as a technical practice but a therapeutic art. I look to reach some sort of emotional climax with every piece, in which I exorcize demons or face fears. So the chemistry with the models and the ability to evoke emotions or invite thought is key to what I consider would make a good photograph.
What is your philosophy as an artist and who influenced you the most?
First of all, I will say that I don’t seek beauty, but enlightenment. For better or worse, I use photography almost as a personal diary, a catharsis, so I don’t normally think how I’m going to market the images, if they’ll fit into an exhibition or a book. My theory is that if I truly feel and connect with my work, somehow that’s gonna translate into the images, and ultimately arrive to the viewers.
I don’t follow trends or cater to the pop culture. I’m heavily influenced by the horror classics from the 50s and 60s. And I’ve always admired Salvador Dalí’s creation; I find surrealism to be the perfect expression of human subconscious.
You have recently published an art photography book entitled I.See.Dark. What’s the concept behind this book.
I.See.Dark is my 4th release in the series, and probably the most personal one. While going through a very dark period with threatening health issues and literal chaos surrounding me, I found myself to be much stronger than I thought I was.
The book narrates the whole experience in a metaphoric journey through the woods with threatening forces awaiting in the dark. The photos are all taken in vintage black and white, halfway between Spain and China. They are also visually influenced by European folklore of witchcraft and the supernatural.
Right now you’re exhibiting you art photography in Los Angeles. What can you tell about the pieces shown there?
My current exhibition is in LACDA (Los Angeles Center for Digital Art), a gallery where I participated in other shows in the past; they actually represent me. From the pieces shown there, the latest one is “Moonchild” which is very special to me in many ways, for one the model is the daughter of a very dear friend and did an amazing job being so young and under the circumstances we had to work (the photo shooting happened during a storm).
And for the meaning of this piece, which to me is about the violent loss of innocence, when unexpected and shocking events take away your naivety and somehow you loose that inner child to the dark, forcing us to face reality, as hard as it can be.
The world is becoming more and more digitalised and there are even those who believe in a paper-free world. Do you think printing pictures on paper will still be something people would want to do in the near / far future?
I agree that digital content is the future, and certainly most of the photography as we know now will finally be delivered and contained electronically. But in the field of fine arts I believe that photography will still be developed or printed; since the choice of paper and the technique of developing film is an art by itself, I am certain it will be preserved.
What plans for the future do you have?
At the momento, the plan is to continue with the exhibits and promotion for I.See.Dark. But I’m already considering my options for the next photo series, which I may start sometime after summer. I’m always looking forward and trying to outdo myself and although I shouldn’t give away anything yet, next series seem like they’ll be the most complicated and challenging in terms of production and safety and that’s gonna be really exciting.
