#christine buchsbaum

[haphazardly-lethargic]

[an-apology-for-idlers]

The only way to do anything is to have it so well rehearsed in one’s imagination that when the moment comes one does it automatically, as though for the hundredth time. Then it is all natural, and there is little likelihood of a slip-up. And there was no slip-up anywhere along the way. It was a heavy day, but not too hot because of the rain, which fell quietly as I walked down the road to the station. On the train I was not in the slightest degree perturbed: I knew there was no chance of any trouble. I kept marveling at the peculiar pleasure afforded by the knowledge that one has planned a thing so perfectly there can be no room for the possibility of failure, all the while being conscious that both the pleasure and the idea itself were completely childish, and that my conviction of success was, at the very least, ill-founded. But certain situations call forth certain emotions, and the mind is a thing entirely apart. I have cakes of soap that I bought twenty-five years ago, still in their wrappers, and I am saving them in the perfect confidence that the right day will come to unwrap each one and use it. And there are probably a hundred books downstairs in the library that I am eager to read, have been eager to read for years, yet refuse to read until the day comes, the day that says to me: This is the morning to start Villiers de L’Isle-Adam, or George Borrow, or Psichari, or someone else. Now, in my logical mind, I know quite well that these promised days are not likely ever to arrive: I shall never use those old cakes of soap that are stored in the linen closet, and I am reasonably sure of never reading Romany Rye, because it doesn’t interest me. But there is that other person, the ideal one that I ought to be, whom it does interest, and it comforts me to think that those things are there waiting for him. Certainly, the mind is a thing absolutely apart.

Extract from If I Should Open My Mouth by Paul Bowles // Photograph by Christine Buchsbaum 

[calendarofanxiety]

from the series “Null and Void”/2009 christinebuchsbaum.com

[an-apology-for-idlers]

To you

Who are the

Foam on the sea

And not the sea—

What of the jagged rocks,

And the waves themselves,

And the force of the mounting waters?

You are

But foam on the sea,

You rich ones—

Rising Waters by Langston Hughes // Photograph by Christine Buchsbaum 

[paganlovefest]

Christine Buchsbaum

[iconist]

Christine Buchsbaum

[staged-photography]

Christine Buchsbaum A selection

Colorado emerging artist Christine Buchsbaum explores a deeply felt world of her own making. Utilizing photography to document her staged, surreal, eccentric and expressive performances for the camera, Buchsbaum connects the viewer to a shared dream. The camera lens frames the compelling emotional terrain, which is ripe for the viewers’ interpretation as to whether its narrative is one of promise or not. This balance of opposites is an active pursuit in Buchsbaum’s work as the real and the fake are inexplicably linked and what is unsettling is also, at its core, sensual. The artist’s hard won set-ups require time and commitment aside from the complexities of the numerous stories the artist longs to tell. 

The artist states: "My work is a re-rendering of autobiographical events - a transformation of events that shaped me. Strange mysteries of a strange world that exists somewhere between memory and invention; between the world I partake in and a world I create. I rewrite, perform and document these real-life stories as a means to gain a larger understanding about my past, and why certain experiences remain with me. This process is an attempt to relate new information to what I already know, and whether or not certain memories are relevant to understanding, assimilating future events. The scenarios I construct are not a collection of memories from events that actually happened, rather, fragments of a pre-made world re-arranged and assembled into a world I imagined to have been.” 

Buchsbaum has a BFA from Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. She was selected as a Visiting Artist and Artist in Residence at La Napoule Art Foundation, Mandelieu-la-Napoule, France, an award winner at Artotique Biennial in London and a juror’s pick in numerous other exhibitions. She has exhibited at Denver’s RedLine Gallery and Colorado’s Arvada Center, among others, and Buchsbaum’s work has been featured in the Huffington Post, Denver Post, Art in America, Art, Ltd., American Contemporary Art Magazine, Zing Magazine and more. 

Christine, thank you for submitting and good luck with exploring and creating your narrative worlds. We at Staged Photography will be following your work with interest.

[lanapouleart]

An Interview with Photographer Christine Buchsbaum

In March, photographer Christine Buchsbaum will join seven other artists in residence at the Château de La Napoule for the Spring 2015 Interdisciplinary Residency.

Christine Buchsbaum

Christine earned a BFA in photography and video art from the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design and has shown her work in myriad galleries.

Despite her busy schedule, Christine participates in LNAF’s Visiting Artist Program, which is a collaborative project between artists and local public schools. Christine took time to answer some questions about her work.

  When did you begin making art? Did you always want to be an artist?

When I was younger, I began painting, and drawing as a way to work around traditional academics.

I always felt most comfortable in the visual world.

I never had a goal to become an artist until I started taking photographs in college, when I began working with a camera, and connecting to experiences on a deeper level.

Your work has a haunting, otherworldly quality to it. What goes through your mind when you’re brainstorming ideas for new pieces?

I start with what needs to be communicated in my eyes, what I’ve been passionately thinking about, and then I reach into myself, and begin to see the things that have really stuck with me, all of the information I’ve been quietly collecting in my brain, and then, I attempt to consolidate it all by making connections.

 What artists (photographers in particular) and works of art do you admire?

“Optimism Waning” by Christine Buchsbaum

The artist’s I feel most impacted by are Maurizio Cattelan, Agnes Martin, Joseph Beuys, and Kara Walker, and Yuri Ancarani, but there are a lot of artists I have yet to discover. Also, some of the older conceptual photographers such as Manuel Alvarez Bravo, W. Eugene Smith, and Hippolyte Bayard.

What qualities make a photograph a work of art in your opinion? What do you strive to achieve in your own work?

I think a photograph can be art as long as the photographer/artist has intention. I think a great photograph/work of art happens when a photographer’s past knowledge is brought to bear on a new phenomenon.

I’m always striving to see what’s underneath the layers of my perception. I sometimes feel like I am not seeing the bigger picture. I guess I want to get closer to how I feel about things and apply it to my work somehow.

 What thoughts, feelings, etc. do you want your work to evoke?

I always want my work to evoke something familiar, but with room to breathe in. I’m usually aiming for inconclusiveness within the narrative of each piece I make. I guess, because everything is growing and transforming in my perception of the world; it’s the in-between moments that are most powerful for me.

“Conceiving a Forest Floor” by Christine Buchsbaum

What do you hope to explore and/or accomplish during your five weeks at Château de La Napoule?

I am looking forward to making work in a different cultural setting. I’m thrilled to be able to experience the world in a foreign context, because i’ve never visited anywhere outside the US. I look forward to being outside of my comfort zone. My goal is to strengthen my abilities by adding new layers of perception, and ultimately seeing the world in a new way.

 Why have you decided to participate in the Visiting Artists Program?

There are so many for-profit entities in the world, and so little is being brought into schools in less fortunate communities. The Visiting Artist Program gives amazing kids in these communities a chance to experience making art with artists. The program seems like it will be a life-changing experience for me and the students involved. I feel honored to be able to participate.

An exhibition of Christine’s work will open on March 19th at the Robischon Gallery in Denver, Colorado. 

Applications for LNAF’s fall 2015 residency (Oct. 27 – Nov. 22, 2015) are available. All materials are due by March 30, 2015. For more information, visit the LNAF website. 

An Interview with Photographer Christine Buchsbaum was originally published on La Napoule Art Foundation Blog