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Aleksander Raczynski

Views

[ FUJIFILM/YOUNG TALENT AWARD 2016 WINNER ]

These images are part of longer series, taken in different places. They help me to understand the world and myself. My life and my photography are both a confrontation with my emotions, and make me feel closer to my soul and to the nature. I find it very helpful as what scares me the most is the lack of emotions.

 

Short Bio

Aleksander Raczynski was born in Lodz (Poland), and is a student of the National Film School there.

 

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12 thoughts on “Aleksander Raczynski – Views”

  1. Photography as therapy has its place not sure if there is to much general interest in an unknown individual, this seems a pretty esoteric personal path.

  2. Most interesting how the absence of a “story” drives the viewer to seek a narrative path through this series, to try to understand the sequencing and, most importantly, to look “into” the individual images. Personal, mysterious, emotive — yes, but, to me, not “esoteric” (in the negative sense of the word).

    It’s worthwhile to try think about the difference between “story” and “narrative,” which occurred to me when I looked at a flip-through of a book I admired, called “Sombras Secas,” on the website of Brazilian photographer Marcelo Greco — Alex’s series somehow reminds me of the feeling of that book.

    Certainly this selection makes me want to see the longer series that Alex refers to. I tried to find it on the web, but only came across a couple of pictures from an exhibition in Łodz called “Abyss,” with photos from Kenya and Tanzania. I’d like to see more of Alex’s work.

    —Mieczysław Alland

  3. At first look, I basically agreed with Imants. I waited a day to take a second look and now am struck by what seems to me to be the brilliance in the work of an artist exploring the darkness and fears that haunt his own mind. When I look at these images, I somehow see scenes from my own childhood and adolescent memories, wonders and fears – as different as my world was from Alekander’s. In the creation of such art, I don’t think there is any need for the photographer to worry about the wider audience at all, but only about the vision he seeks to create. Let it speak to who it speaks to.

  4. Frostfrog creating for the converted is like fishing in a bucket, finding new audiences for what you have to say challenges both you and your work. It puts it within context …………world >audience >artwork >artist

  5. I always see these essays as akin to alienation literature such as Dostoyevski’s “Underground Man,” Hamsun’s “Hunger,” Caumus’ “The Stranger” and Hesse’s “Steppenwolf.” Photo essays of alienation, so to speak. Though in this case, I can’t imagine any of those guys writing anything like that artist statement. Can’t really imagine them entering a contest either. Ah well, times change, and ways in which people share their work change as well.

    Of more immediate concern, it seems these alienation essays are always in black and white with high contrast and grain and a narrative consisting such things as dramatically lit strange spaces, disturbed or disturbing people, weird animals and other dramatically bizarre whatnot.

    As I’ve mentioned in the past, younger me would have loved this kind of thing. And I don’t mean that as a negative criticism. I still respect most of the punk era tastes of younger me. I know alienation. I like alienation. Monochromatic photography can certainly be a great way to express it.

    Still, it seems there must be alternative ways to portray these feelings. The aforementioned writers may have written about the same subject, but they did it in radically different styles.

    Do most photographers these days even think about those things? Where do today’s alienated photo essayists get their inspiration? Back in ancient times, it was underground men, strangers, wacko struggling writers and steppenwolves. Where does it come from now? Roger Ballen? Edgy Japanese photographers from the 70’s? Cobain? Houellebecq? Von Triers? Graphic novels? Video games? The navel?

    Anyway, to Imants’ point, artists in this tradition typically have a complex relationship with the idea of audience and the desirability of having one. It’s quite possible that this photographer would consider gaining mass acceptance an artistic failure.

  6. Imants, wouldnt you say that by getting his essay published here, this artist, Aleksnder, has found new, worldwide, audiences for his artwork? And do you really believe that in Burn he has an already converted audience? Do you think maybe he created this not for the already converted but straight out of his soul? Mike, it would be interesting to see more alienated essays done in color.

  7. Alienation isn’t the only thing that drives a “dark look.” Indeed, Alex has stated clearly what drives his vision. Also, quite a few photographers have created a dark vision in color. One is Marcelo Greco, the Brazilian photographer I mentioned earlier. You can see a few of his essays in color on his website.

    On the size of an audience a photographer might look for, these days one can self-publish books and break even with an edition of only 500 or 1,000. That means a photographer doesn’t have to look for a large audience to become reasonably well known.

  8. Frostfrog publishing here is presenting to the converted Mitch it is not about the size of the audience
    “The four agencies encompass the questions of “who, what, when, where and why”, and are as follows:

    Artist – the role of the artist where the art work is explored as the product of practitioners such as artists, artisans, craftspeople, architects and designers. The artist can be seen as an individual or as a group or movement.
    Audience – the role and value of the audience. The concept of audience can be evaluated historically or critically. The audience may be specific such as art historians or critics, or other members of the public such as students, teachers, art buyers, etc. Or the audience may be abstract as when notions of “viewing” and “authorship” come into it. Artworks themselves are static, but the audience and their interpretation changes over time.
    Artwork – artworks as real objects. This includes paintings, sculpture, architecture, design, performance art, and genres of these, as well as presentations of an artist’s personal and cultural reflections. Additionally, there exists the opportunity for symbolic interpretations and modern reinterpretations.
    World – how interests “in the world” are represented in the art. This includes Socio-political aspects such as class, ideologies, etc.; experiences of the world, personal to the artist or experienced by the collective; interests of the art world — movements, styles, innovations, pressures, technology and more.”

  9. a civilian-mass audience

    “the role and value of the audience”…mass audience=priceless !!!

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