Two weeks ago it was OSLO NIGHT 2016 and Cristian, Petr and Martin decided to show their work and open their atelier space for the OSLO NIGHT. They finished their work, created a flyer and started to invite people. That was the start of OPEN ATELIER @ OSLO NIGHT 2016.

Martin, Cristian and Petr have worked in the Atelier at Oslostrasse 10 for the past three months. They showed their output at the OPEN ATELIER at OSLO NIGHT which was also their last day in that very Atelier. I am going to show you lots of photos and was able to ask some questions about their art pieces.

Lets start with Petr. He was showing very beautiful black and white analog photographies. I asked him some questions about his work and here is what he said.

1. Photography seems to be your passion, how did it all start?

Probably it all started like any other story, the moment I took the camera in my hands. I believe I was not more than 7 or 8 years old. (By the way, I can clearly remember this first encounter with the camera 🙂 ) It was some sort of attachment to this domain, which surprisingly didn’t let me go ever since. I think it came to me very naturally or unconsciously, I never asked myself any question why do I take a photograph.  

2. What was the idea behind your work that you are showing?

The opportunity to show my work among friends luckily has been coincided with the moment, where I felt like it is time to shift from “snapshotting” to conceptually thought trough photography. Basically trying to ask myself, why do I shoot this specific thing, why do I compose the image this way, and what do I want show or what kind of questions I want to ask the observer by doing this specific photograph. At this moment for me it was more about the step rather than a result, also taking into account that it is an actual first step in shifting to the new “category” of photography, hoping that the result will come in the next steps. So I asked myself what would be the perfect first. There was always some attachment to mountains for me and the fact that I currently live in Switzerland. It felt to me like the right thing to do, to make a series of the Swiss Alps. In order to proceed with the project, as the first step I decided to examine my subject in order to see where the project can lead me and which questions I should raise by doing so. I took the step as simple as possible – black and white film 100 iso, tripod and middle format camera. I started to shoot mountains, spending almost the whole day shooting the same mountain from the same point of view, examining and researching my subject. So now I am reflecting back on it and trying to figure out the questions I should ask for my next project and how I can make a final series with a strong conceptual base behind it. The pictures that were exhibited during our OPEN ATELIER were more “work in progress” photographs or a research phase of the project. I already have some ideas about the questions I’d like to raise in my next project, but I would prefer to share it later, hopefully there will be another opportunity, with actual photographs, rather than speculate here about it.

3. Which cameras do you use for what?

For the last 6 to 7 years I have only used analog cameras and I am a strong advocate for the analog photography. I prefer to use my middle format camera Hasselblad 500 cm, due to the higher resolution of the film and also the fact that I love the square format. I think it is the most democratic format, which doesn’t give a priority in any direction of the image. However when I can’t afford to invest a lot of time in a photo shooting I use my Leica m6. I have it with me amost every day just in case I see something nice I want to capture.

And now let’s talk about Cristian’s work. His pieces came with a text that you can read below.

The show is a collection of drawings, sculptures and models that are all developed
along the idea of the GRID as a tool for an anthropology study. The GRID stands as a
metaphor for human society with everything that the term can incorporate: politics, culture, history, interaction with natural elements and religion. The project is in the same time a personal memory box or journal, giving me the liberty to analyse trough the means of artistic expression my own Zeitgeist. The concept is broken in four major themes the GRID vs EVOLUTION, the GRID vs HUMANITY, the GRID vs LANDSCAPE and the GRID vs IDOLS. The show is a first step in this parkour. Moving from figurative to abstract, it formalises thoughts, questions and observations with the clear intention of not drawing any conclusions.

I asked him what kind of materials he has used and his answer was: plaster, rasin, achrylic paint, foam and clay.

GRID VS EVOLUTION

GRID VS LANDSCAPE

GRID VS LANDSCAPE

GRID VS IDOL

GRID VS LANDSCAPE

GRID VS HUMANITY

The OPEN ATELIER @ OSLO NIGHT was a big succes. I have already been to some OSLO NIGHTS before and I always like to check out the diploma projects of the Industrial and Fashion Design students. Like every year there is an After Party at the HEK, House of Electronic Arts.

Last but not least, lets talk about Martin’s work. I asked Martin a couple of questions about his work that you can see below. I was amazed how well the pieces of the three worked together. It was a great way to use the space and show their work of the past three months.

Here is what Marin told me about his work.

1. How did your passion for art start?

I spend all the hours in primary school doing drawings (mostly dinosaurs and war machines). Soon I figured out that drawing was the easiest way for me to “impress” my teachers and friends, so I guess it started there.  

2. What describes your work best?

Hmm. Today I only show my abstract work, but normally I would say that what I do is very diverse. Maybe curiosity is a good way to describe my stuff.  

3. What’s the idea/story behind the work you were showing at OPEN ATELIER?

I wanted to take my abstract work a step further. In order to do so I stacked all my old drawings and paintings on the floor to figure out what I was actually doing. It annoyed me that I could not see through everything at once and then the idea to paint on transparent materials started. After this it evolved into these transparent foils that I do myself. The idea is very basic, if there is no paint to hold the foil together it dissolves into pieces and there is nothing left at all.

So, that was it from the OPEN ATELIER @ OSLO NIGHT 2016. I hope you were there yourself and if not, hopefully this was helpful to give you an impression of their work and workspace. I recorded a video of that event and will make a time lapse, soon to come. X