Bubblegum Club

Tag: studio

  • Maxim Vakhovskiy – Celebrating the raw beauty women of colour possess through photography

    Maxim Vakhovskiy – Celebrating the raw beauty women of colour possess through photography

    Maxim Vakhovskiy is a self-taught photographer based in Charlotte, North Carolina (USA). Growing up in Kiev, Ukraine, her family immigrated to the United States when she was 13 years old. Her father’s hobbyist photography instilled a passion for the art form within her.

    “He would create a makeshift darkroom in the small bathroom of our house. I sat with him watching the images emerge on paper under red light. It was one of my favourite things to do and I think that’s when the passion for photography, or at least a small dormant seed, was planted.” – on her father’s photographic practice and influence.

    Maxim tells me in our email interview that the process of finding herself in the photographic landscape was extensive. Initially studying Psychology and Philosophy she switched over to graphic design and concluded with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. It was during her formal training that she rekindled her friendship with the medium of the lens.

    After graduation, Maxim began working at MODE (a branding agency in Charlotte, North Carolina) as a graphic designer. Later she inhabited the part of an art director and transitioned into photography.

    Central to Maxim’s personal practice is portraiture through which she aims to emphasize the raw beauty of the people she photographs. Her work acts as a celebration of womanhood, the human body and women of colour.

    Her work generally plays out within a studio set up and she explains that the reason for this is because of the control that the studio space lends to her. She elaborates on this point by stating that her obsession with precise lighting can be satisfied within the studio space. Another aspect that draws her to the studio is its privacy as she is drawn to nude portraiture. Within the studio the people she photographs can feel more at ease.

    “I think of it as a love affair. I’m in love with my craft and fall a little bit in love with everyone I photograph. To me, it’s one of the few ways to capture a bit of someone’s essence. I focus on visual simplicity that evokes complexity. My work is an exercise of trust and untraditional ideals beauty basked in classic light.”

    Muted tonal backdrops, soft becoming lighting, simplified backgrounds and beautiful women of colour act together to unify Maxim’s vision. With her work, she elevates the beauty of women of colour, womanhood and the human body. Her simplified backgrounds make her work more arresting as attention is brought to the people that she photographs.

  • Lightfarm // Creating a Culture of Collaboration in the Print Studio

    Autumnal light cascades through the intersecting branches of a small avenue of plane trees. The occasional hoot peppers the ambient buzzing soundscape of Braamfontein. Adjacent, buildings are covered in corrugated shadow. Tucked away –  just off Henri Street – a concrete and steel structure houses Lightfarm: a fine arts and photographic print studio.

    The space is filled with machines, occasionally making quirky beeps or sprouting reams of paper. Andreas Vlachakis and Amichai Tahor started the business in late 2007 – initially working with up-coming artists. A decade later, these artists have grown and so has Lightfarm.  The likes of Zanele Muholi, Ayana Jackson, Paul Shiakallis and Mary Sibande have worked with the studio from the outset.

    Ayana Jackson, ‘Wild as the Wind’, 2015

    The studio positions itself as a space of production. However, this is not limited to the technical element of printing. Andreas and Amichai resonate with the notion of the print studio embodying collaboration. This is the heart of their focus. Their partnership relies on this kind of dynamism and fluidity.

    Both Andreas and Amichai draw on different backgrounds. Andreas comes from a photographic tradition of photojournalism, having worked for many years at the Star. Whereas, Amichai comes from a fine arts background and focuses on interdisciplinary projects. They jest that if a client doesn’t like the one, they are bound to like the other. Through their combined experience they draw on an incredible history and wealth of knowledge – one that translates through a spectrum of projects.

    The democratisation of the camera – through the accessibility of digital photography and phone cameras – has revolutionised the space of photography and modes of archiving through documentation. Andreas and Amichai pivot their practice on the mastery of when the digital is manifest in physical and tangible space. They’re intrigued to see how this eruption in accessible images alters cultural production, especially in relation to the youth.

    Benjamin Skinner, ‘White 003’, 2015

     

    Mary Sibande, ‘The Admiration of the Purple Figure’, 2013

     

    Paul Shiakallis, ‘Vicky’, 2014

     

    Andile Buka

     

    Gary Stephens

  • Post Print Zine – Hidden Structures

    Mathema is a new limited edition zine, produced by Vatic Studio in collaboration with artist Jake Michael Singer. The lush publication is a work of art in its own right, focusing on grid structures in Johannesburg. As Vatic Studios Nicole Van Heerden describes it, the project was inspired by ideas from Classical  Philosophy-   ‘Mathema is a concept I came across while… working on a series of photographic work around grid-like structures in the city, supportive or decorative. The word Mathema stuck with me because it was the structure of something upon which everything is built on’.

    The zine is the second in a series- ‘Vatic Studio created Post Print zine as a platform to share and produce work simultaneously in-print and online at any time we had the urge to. The zine also operates as a catalogue for our imagery, so each image is numbered and available for purchase’.  The first Ulterior City dealt with systems of infrastructure and surveillance. The zine was accompanied by an exclusive playlist curated by Givan Lotz on Soundcloud.

    Expanding the focus on urban space, Mathema explores the role of architecture in society, and includes an exclusive paper sculpture for the reader to assemble. The Post Print series will continue as a regular platform to experiment with different printing techniques and formats.

    Limited editions of Mathema are available at Hazard Gallery, Johannesburg.

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