Erstellt am: 13. 10. 2011 - 14:42 Uhr

Fotografin der Woche: Katarina Šoškić

Katarina Šoškić macht sich den Charme billiger und kaputter Kameras zu Nutze und kreiert damit ihre eigene Bildsprache.

FotografInnen gibt es wie Sand am Meer. Die interessantesten jungen österreichischen FotografenInnen werden in dieser Serie vorgestellt.

Diese Woche: Katarina Šoškić aus Belgrad/Wien im E-Mail-Interview.

Katarina Šoškić

Du kommst ursprünglich aus Belgrad und bist seit 3 Jahren in Wien. Wie kommst du mit der Ästhetik der Stadt und der Menschen hier in Österreich im Vergleich zu Serbien zurecht?

© Katarina Šoškić

© Katarina Šoškić

I decided to like it. In the beginning, I was comparing everything, and I intended to complain. I didn't like it that people are old even if they're young, how they do not dance and how everything is wealthy and straight. Then, as I wanted to adapt, I discovered many good sides of it, also in comparing it with my home-town and environment. I like the calmness of Vienna, its order and how it helps me focus. Belgrade is distracting, it is chaotic and one can easily get lost. After three years in Vienna, I am happy I can find both here, depending on my needs. It is much better than not having an option.

Wie bist du zur Fotografie gekommen und was sind die zentralen Themen für dich in deiner Arbeit?

© Katarina Šoškić

For many years I was taking pictures just for fun, documenting moments that I spent (or didn't) with people close to me. It was, at the same time, the easiest way to instantly satisfy that need to create. I was also drawing a lot, so it was some sort of a diary.

In time, it came to the point where this approach became too superficial, not only because of the demands I got from the outside as commissioned work, but also as I started to feel like I needed more structure, more defined topics, more controlled results.

Commissioned work is helpful in that manner, as it is very concrete and forces me to control the process, but it is also, sometimes I feel, keeping me away from my personal topics. It turned out that most of my work recently was related to some garments and their presentation. I have never been concerned about fashion , but more interested in people and their habits and secrets, places, ways of living, journeys and more intimate stories. On the other hand, I am amazed by moments and ways to show them through perfect composition and the play of light. So for instance, if the fashion world would not mind this approach I would didn't being a fashion photographer. But what is more important than giving me the titles is to separate my targets of interest and to make them more obvious in my work.

Mir fällt auf, dass du sehr gerne mit der Unschärfe spielst. Verwendest du dafür spezielle oder modifizierte Kameras/Filme?

© Katarina Šoškić

There are charming mistakes that cheap equipment makesand in time I learnt how to use them, so they are not mistakes anymore. So to say, my Yashica T3 (somehow i didn't get along with T4 nor the famous Contax T2) cameras are for 'die Sicherheit' and Chaika, the old Russian half-frame camera is for this dreamy effect I get.

Du hast viele sehr schöne Serien auf deiner Website. Welche ist dein persönlicher Favorit und warum?

Thank you. I went on my website to check them again, and I feel strange to be an observer. It is more pleasant to keep them at a distance. But, I still love how old-fashioned and classic those are in 'mag', the humor in 'a boy', moments caught in 'take a look at these hands' the story in the 'infinite loop' and the tone of 'I had a dream'. While watching them again, I just remembered how many changes my website needs. Thank you for that reminder, too.

Was hat es mit Divna auf sich?

© Katarina Šoškić

She is my neighbor from Belgrade. For my diploma project that I did in 2008, I asked all my 120 neighbors, to allow me to get on their balconies in order to take pictures of their views. I put the result in a book that is a monothematic collection of all these similar but different points of views 'interrupted' by very intimate descriptions of my own experience through this 'journey'. On that journey, Divna wasn't the only one I wished to portray but she was the certainly the only one who allowed me to do so.

Ich bin ein großer Fan von deiner Freundin Ana Kraš. Arbeitet ihr viel zusammen und beeinflusst euch das gegenseitig?

© Katarina Šoškić

Ana is very close friend of mine. We used to spend a lot of time together and also now - living far away from each other - the relationship is strong. It is important for both of us and as such it influences us a lot. Like any friendship and sharing the that it brings, it must leave some traces in one's work. It is not only Ana, I share my thoughts with and the people around me.

Besonders gut gefallen mir deine Modefotos die du für den lila Katalog gemacht hast. Kannst du uns dazu noch etwas erzählen?

© Katarina Šoškić

© Katarina Šoškić

I look at them and I am always surprised that they are actually mine. This is not supposed to sound arrogant. It is more to describe that after these series I physically felt the improvement. And it makes me happy. I learnt a lot, I am happy to have Lisi, so through every new collection by Lila I have a new important experience.

Vielen herzlichen Dank für das Interview!