By Gemma Brosnan Dos Santos
AMERICAN photographer Alex Prager’s visually enticing portraits of retro-modern women staged in neon Californian landscapes result in timeless, eerie and compelling images.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Alex’s curious and restless nature was evident early on and her nomadic upbringing saw her splitting her time between Florida, California, and Switzerland without truly settling down long enough for a formal education.
Her interest in art began in her adolescence and in keeping with her independent spirit, she eschewed art school and began taking photographs on her own, teaching herself equipment and lighting through trial and error.
In her early twenties she began to focus on photography after being inspired by the work of William Eggleston and artists such as Alfred Hitchcock and David Lynch.
Her large-format Technicolor photographs go deeper than what meets the eye, creating an intriguing and surreal narrative for the women they feature, which hints at a sense of allure and uncertainty.
Recently Alex has been selected by New York City’s MoMA for their forthcoming autumn exhibition, New Photography 2010.
Her latest exhibition at Michael Hoppen Contemporary in London will feature a selection of never-before-seen photographs, the premiere of Alex’s first foray into film, as well as works from a recent Tokyo sojourn – a step away from her usual West coast locations and inspirations.
Original, thought-provoking and charged, Alex’s work continues to challenge the preconceived ideas of what makes photography art in a world where so many artists vie for this sought-after label.
We caught up with Alex to find out more.
GEMMA: You have an exhibition at Michael Hoppen gallery in London coming up in June which premieres your first foray into film, as well as works from a recent Tokyo sojourn. Can you tell us a bit more?
ALEX: The film was over a year in the making. I had the idea for it after I opened The Big Valley two years ago here in London. I’m very excited about it. The idea behind it is that I wanted to bring one of my photographs to life for a few minutes.
Tokyo was very colorful and full of energy. I want to go back there soon to continue what I started.
GEMMA: Was it a conscious decision to step away from your usual West coast locations and inspirations?
ALEX: I was out there for my opening of Week-end, so while I was there I decided to do some photo shoots.
GEMMA: How important has Los Angeles been to you as a backdrop?
ALEX It’s my home and always has been so, in a way, it’s so much a part of me that I’m not really sure where Los Angeles ends and I begin.
GEMMA: How do you manage to maintain a contrast between the real and the surreal to bring the women in your photographs to life and create emotional intensity?
ALEX: I think the bright colours and styling allows me to say almost anything I want in the picture because it's nice to look at. Nobody in life really looks like these girls look, but the emotions that they are expressing in the photos are typical human emotions. Hopefully people connect with that in some way when they look at the photos.
GEMMA: What is it about the 1950s that excites you so much?
ALEX: The drama from all the old movies was heightened with all the makeup, costumes and lighting... It was all very over the top. Visually, nothing looked “real” so you could get away with anything in the storytelling aspect. It was all kind of done with a wink. Now, a lot of movies strive to look as much like real life as possible so I guess you have to be more careful about what you’re saying.
GEMMA: What camera are you currently using and why?
ALEX: I always use a Contax 645 because it is lightweight enough to be hand-held but uses a larger format film than a normal handheld camera.
GEMMA: How much planning goes into your shoots?
ALEX: It depends on how complicated the shoot has to be to get the picture I want. Sometimes it’s little to no planning, sometimes three months will go into planning one shot.
GEMMA: Are your favourite shots usually premeditated or something you capture in a moment?
ALEX: My favourite ones are usually a combination of catching something in the moment and all the things I might subtract or add in post production.
GEMMA: What is the best shoot you ever did and what did it entail?
ALEX: Hopefully I haven’t yet taken my best shot.
GEMMA: And the worst?
ALEX: The first one that comes to mind is this one where I was experimenting with new lighting and I accidentally ended up making this poor girl look like she had a ginger moustache in all the pictures.
GEMMA: How do you retain artistic control over elements such as styling during shoots?
ALEX: I don’t use a stylist.
GEMMA: You’ve mentioned previously that artists such as Alfred Hitchcock and David Lynch have influenced your style and you’re images are strikingly cinematic—is there a link?
ALEX: If there is a link it might be because I admire them so much that possibly a bit of them has become a bit of me.
GEMMA: Is it a conscious decision to make the iconic accessible?
ALEX: It was a conscience decision to make pictures that I thought people would want to look at, including myself. I like all these things that are in my pictures. Melodrama and all that is interesting to me.
GEMMA: Where else do you find inspiration?
ALEX: In life.
GEMMA: What next after London?
Alex: That’s a secret...
Alex Prager’s latest exhibition opens at Michael Hoppen Contemporary June 10 – July 17. For more information check out www.michaelhoppencontemporary.com
|
