Section Editor: Robert Gojević, bio bio

OPEN is a section in which we try to widen our horizons by crossing the boundaries of themes we’ve emphasized in BLUR during the past few years. This section will host street, documentary, concert, experimental, and other types of photography, and even photo manipulation. The creative approach is still the most important aspect in choosing photographers, but we will show preference for those who could be described as “different.”

Deb Young & Francisco Diaz, New Zealand | USA by Robert Gojevic

“As writer Caro Buermann said of The Playground Series, “For most of us growing up, playgrounds were more than a place for fun and games- they also provided a fast and hard lesson in how social structure works; they taught us how to be patient while we waited for our turn on the swing, while boys would chase and torment the new girl, and the nerdy kid would get bullied and left behind in sport games. In their surreal new series of photographs titled “The Playground Series”, international artists Francisco Diaz and Deb Young illustrate the innocent complexity of playground society.“

Louis Little, UK by Robert Gojevic

“Mixed colors. That slightly soft focus. Of course, many of them entered the dud pile. Overexposed. Blue blobs of something-or-other. I wanted to create something out of nothing. I took four and put them in the toaster. “Pop-tart Polaroids” I called them. They were a little bit of fun.“

Pawel Biedrzycki, Poland by Robert Gojević

open

“Items that remain after death have special meaning for us—often waking emotions that are too strong, lying hidden in the bottom drawer.
We return to them after years, reaching memories of the past, memories inherent in the objects that don’t allow us to forget our relatives.
People With Drawers is an attempt to show the dead through the prism of left objects, the related people, and the space in which they lived.“

Jake Shivery , USA by Michael Kirchoff

open

“I can’t shoot enough. I can’t hope to keep my workflow moving at the same pace at which I meet individuals who interest me. Even within the confines of my less-than-social life, I barely go a day without meeting someone whom I’d like to photograph. I am delighted to have a subject pool that persistently motivates me, not just to work, but also to maddening passion. I keep working and hope for the best.“

Nick Veasey, UK by Michael Kirchoff

“To create art with equipment and technology designed to help big brother delve deeper, to use some of that fancy complicated gadgetry that helps remove the freedom and individuality in our lives, to use that apparatus to create beauty, brings a smile to my face.“

Jaime Erin Johnson, USA by Michael Kirchoff

open

“Untamed chronicles the intimate relationship of a feral woman and her surrounding natural environment. She collects the bones, branches, and flora of her world and treads with the animals, both dead and living. The
cyanotype process shifts focus from potentially colorful landscapes and figures to patterns, textures, and the relationships of forms within the images. Psychological and physical discovery reveals each of us is a part of a shared experience. Untamed ultimately reflects upon the forms, the impermanence, and the interconnectedness of nature’s life.“

Lori Sapio, USA by Robert Gojević

open

“Her Voice” was created with the support of local Chicago-based models and makeup and hair stylists. It features period hair and makeup with dramatic bruising around each model’s face or neck. This dark, yet elegant work of art is intended to bring woman’s rights and voices throughout history through the present to the forefront.“

Gerhard Clausing, USA by Michael Kirchoff

“My body is a universe unto itself and a reflection of the larger universe as well. It has many locations and shapes, some obvious, some hidden, some large, some small, and some so miniscule that they require extreme magnification.“

Inna Shimelmits, Israel by Robert Gojević

“People around the world use different kinds of devices to make the connection between themselves and their food. In my portraits I decided to review this relationship between the person and his food. By removing all dishes and cutlery I created an awkward meeting between the person and his food.“

Kees Muizelaar , The Netherlands by Robert Gojević

“Like the entire Frisian countryside, Himmelum has to suffer its population leaving. The people are aging. Public services are disappearing. When they have grown up, young people move to the city.“

Nuno Horta, Portugal by Robert Gojević

open

“The White Wedding series is more an immersion in the universe perplexing, but always with the beauty present, and where the irony and humor also mark a space. This time, making it invisible not only the faces but also the bodies of two unlikely betrothed, a singular ceremony coming from a black dream photographed in white.“

Anja Humljan, Slovenia by Robert Gojević

open

Urban Yoga is an architectural experiment focusing on an individual who is discovering and being oriented in the world through the senses. Urban Yoga is exploring the influence of contemporary cities on human life by raising questions about how the senses of touch, smell, taste, sight, and hearing affect the way we feel in certain urban environments at certain times

Caity Fares, USA by Robert Gojević

open-blur-magazine

The past two years in graduate school have been spent exploring how the very nature of photography can resemble the construction of consciousness. Building one-of-a-kind cameras out of discarded materials and photographing the land is a way for me to connect with the energy forces present in the world that we can feel, but not necessarily see.

Silke Seybold, USA by Robert Gojević

Blur-magazine36-open
“To me these locations are compelling on many levels: The smell, the different textures, the danger, the uncertainty, the solitary and yet comfortable mood as well as the feeling of time passing. After returning to these buildings I developed a connection with these locations and my deepest feelings.“

James Wigger, USA by Robert Gojević

Blur-magazine35-open

"What truly got me into photography was instant film, most notably the long lamented Polaroid film. Being able to manipulate processes has always been at the center of my love affair with instant film. Due to its ever-dwindling supplies though I have been shooting more and more with expired film. With both the liquid-like instant film and the chaos of expired film, I am presented with the necessary challenges of serendipity and chance to deal with."

Julieta Benoit , Brazil by Robert Gojević

Blur-magazine-open

"Through the wings of images, I propose to give a voice to waters, bringing through the real and concrete space of the polluted reality of the world’s rivers the delirious Tietê, a river that laughs and cries death, life, and dreams."

Marc Janks, USA by Robert Gojević

open

After three years in marketing and freelancing, he and his girlfriend decided to move to New York together. Having grown up shy, Marc grew up to be a pretty outgoing guy. To overcome the last vestiges of his shyness, he took his camera and started snapping pictures of strangers, which was the start of “Who Are You New York.”

Nicole Ravicchio, USA by Robert Gojević

open
“Dependency” is a visual study on how women can become too dependent on the men in their lives. Sometimes when a woman is too much in love, she can become completely blind to her partner’s disinterest. He becomes her rock, her everything, and she’s in too deep to let go or let herself see he’s over her. That type of devotion can consume you. This series focuses on those negative aspects. I’ve learned from observation, as well as personal experience, that we must always be in tune with reality, to not be blinded by overwhelming emotion and hold on to something that’s already been lost. We must learn to let go, but that is easier said than done.“

Alicja Pietras, Poland by Robert Gojević

„The project “Memory Self-Portrait” is a kind of diary, a record of very specific times, which, for many reasons, weren’t very happy for me. At the same time, that period of my life was truly transforming, a real turning point. As intimate atmosphere was very crucial to speak about the pain and sadness of those moments, I photographed myself and my very close female friends. That enabled me to get to the point where there was no shame and no will to hide true feelings.“

Robert Hutinski, Slovenia by Robert Gojević

„In contrast to his most recent images, which try to steal the attention of viewers with shallow, straightforward, mostly-artificial beauty, here Hutinski uses the prettiness to encourage the emotional journey, forcing us to think and re-think basic understandings of identity, personality, longing, enjoyment, phantasm, wish, love, solipsism, and relationship. “

Yurian Quintanas Nobel, Netherlands/Spain by Robert Gojević

"Every year, on the 19th of August, thousands of Orthodox, moved by faith, flock to the holy mountain of Grabarka to celebrate the Transfiguration. Many of them arrive on foot, on their knees or carry the traditional Orthodox cross for many miles as a sacrifice to God. On their arrival, the pilgrims place their crosses into the ground and start to pray. They continue their prayers throughout the night, hoping to receive health for themselves and their families and salvation for their dead ancestors."

Franjo Bahovec , Croatia by

Blur-magazine_23_Franjo_Bahovec

"In this last installment, Photo Gallery Lang and BLUR magazine are pleased to present the intimate side of Franjo Bahovec, this unique amateur from Samobor, who, through his all-encompassing interest in the medium of photography at the beginning of the 20th century, contributed so much to Croatian photographic heritage. (…) As the fine lady in Bahovec’s photos has exposed herself in the privacy of the home, Bahovec’s photos remained practically untouched for almost a hundred years, stored solely in the emotional memory of the subject and the object."

Tomislav Marić, by

"The story is very interesting visually from afar: it gets quite a different dimension when you come closer, and when you surf the ‘Net a bit – quite a new perspective opens behind the forest of locks. All those locking devices are dedicated to human relationships, which are (only theoretically, of course) unbreakable. The names which are written on the locks in various ways (engraved, scratched, forged, written in plain felt pen) symbolise the pledge of love, friendship or perhaps something quite different…."

Sandra Vitaljić, by

"I found it interesting to compare places which were monumentalized (like Jasenovac or Donja Gradina) to the Way of Cross which took the toll of so many lives. While mass grave sites were turned into monuments and have an air of peace and tranquility, the roads leading to them are still restless, filthy and full of horror. I hope all mass tombs will be explored and that the victims will find their peace. I also hope that the manipulations with the actual victim count finally stops - with all conflicting parties."

Milan Josipović, Serbia by Robert Gojević

Josipovic

The Zulu project came to life pretty much by accident in South Africa. In between two fashion shoots I took part in a performance by a group of young Zulu men and women, and was immediately impressed by their appearance and movement. After lengthy negotiation they agreed to be photographed for three days on different locations around Cape Town. And I had to pay them for their trouble as well. Nothing too much: 500 € for everyone. It was none the less a joy spending time with them and photographing them during those three days. I’ve grown attached to some of them. I used only one reflector (bounce) and relied solely on daylight. I find this to be an ideal way to conduct such shootings.