Photographer
From the series Signs of a Struggle by Clare Strand, 2011.
Q: Is a portrait automatically a judgment?
A: A portrait can be an automatic judgment of the maker or the subject or the viewer.
Q: How do different mediums affect the portrayal of a self-portrait?
A: They will affect time.
Q: Lies the truth of portraiture in the movement towards the idealization of the true potentials of the figure, or is it more about truly capturing the most defining features?
A: Depends on the intentions and the final use of the image.
Q: Could you describe your least successful portrait?
A: Many self-portraits.
Q: Thesis: in the current way of living, the artist is indirectly asked to also assume in a way to have a digital 2D identity. My work, for example, shows a lot of bare skin. But social media finds that against the guidelines. Because a lot of skin in an image would be explicit or sexual. I wonder how I can exist digitally as an artist if this guideline generalizes the way of looking at unclothed bodies. Not everyone looks at bodies in a sexually objectified way. How do you feel about this digital trend?
A: When you release an image into the world you can not direct the viewer. People will always read things the way they choose or need to. Not everyone looks at bodies in a sexually objectified way - but some do. As artists, we have to accept this and challenge this.
Q: What can a portrait do?
A: It can offer a likeness or it can illustrate a concept.
Q: What is the most important quality to possess as a portrait maker?