DIARY

www.mariagdeazcarate.com

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These are my parents, I was a baby when these photos were made. A few years ago I took all the negatives from that time from my house, shortly after, my parents divorced. I have always been told that the upper half of my face was taken from my father and the lower half from my mother. This is an approximation.

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[underexposedmagazine]

María G. de Azcárate

1. Where are you from and where are you living right now? 

I am originally from Spain, but I am currently living in Amsterdam (The Netherlands). I moved here around five years ago.

2. Does the place you live in affect your art and practice?  I believe it does — a lot. The city I come from, Almería, is located in the middle of the only desert in Europe. The desert melts with the Mediterranean sea, resulting into a very characteristic landscape. Moreover, the sun shines the whole year, and the temperatures are very mild. The light is extreme and sharp, as opposed to Amsterdam, where the sun is barely seen, and the light is ashen. That changed completely  my way of photographing, in all the senses.

My country, and in particular my city, inspires me very much: the landscapes, the way people live. However, in Holland, I’ve found the most beautiful light I have ever seen. I’m in love with the Dutch light. Also, I’ve become a more reserved person in some ways, and that affected very much the way I photograph now.

3. How does being a woman influence your work? Do you encounter any challenges in your practice related to that?  It is so clear that women are underrepresented in Photography and the Arts in general. Moreover, that affects all of us. Talking about myself, I did not notice any challenges related to my gender.

I believe that everything related to oneself, call it gender, call it age, the culture you grew in, the places you lived in…affects the way you see the world, the way you communicate, and of course, your artistic practice.

4. Do you want to share something about your body of work? What are you working on right now? Coming back to the second question, the series presented here was taken during my first year in The Netherlands. When I first moved here, I did not speak any other language but Spanish, so I started working taking care of two beautiful young kids. This work is a documentary about how I experienced that situation. I felt very trapped in that moment.

Currently I’m working on several projects, and I am also in the editing process of some others. I’m also preparing a couple of exhibitions that are going to take place in October.

 5. How do you get inspiration? Who do you admire?  My primary source of inspiration is Cinema. I’m passionate about Cinema, and I think it is evident in my work. I also get inspiration from other arts, like Photography, Paint, Literature or Music.

I’m also fascinated by the human condition, by hidden emotions, intimacy, human connections and everyday stories.

I admire so many people but, in this context, I’ll only mention two photographers that influenced me when I first started studying Photography: one is Francesca Woodman, and the other is Duane Michals.

6. Do you shoot mostly color or black and white? Why?  I use both color and black&white. I also shoot in different formats, I photograph with my digital camera, with analogue, with my mobile phone and also work with mix media, using a film scanner, among others.

I think the medium and your gear needs to work for you and not you for it. So I don’t stick to one kind. I prefer to work in eclectically.   Follow her work here: https://www.mariagdeazcarate.com All images and texts are protected by Copyright and belong to the Artist. 

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Thanks @underexposedmagazine 

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