Photo by Kiki Xue
THIS IS ME NOT BEING YOU – in collaboration with Punkt Magazine and Punkt Studio – presents 35 photographs and 7 young fashion photographers, through a highly interactive setting. The international exhibition/event feeds the overwhelming hunger for aesthetic experiences, erlebnisse.
“There’s something grand about being nothing…”
THIS IS ME NOT BEING YOU is a synonym of independence, irreverence, insurrection.
“There’s something lame about being grand.”
THIS IS ME NOT BEING YOU will hit Superstudio13 (Via Forcella 13, Milan) on Tuesday 23rd February 2016, at 18:30.
Photo by Felix Cooper
Fucking Young!: Good Morning Micaela, what urged you to embark on the THIS IS ME NOT BEING YOU journey?
Micaela Flenda: I want TIMNBY to work as a platform through which young photographers can expose their more personal work. Fashion photography is an artistic form with a specific visual code and I think it is necessary to have an independent project focus on this.
FY!: Could you, please, take us through the ideation and realization of the project?
MF: After having worked – for several years – as a fashion photo/video producer and numerous artistic collaborations, I decided to exploit my experience by developing a curatorial project. I first selected an heterogeneous list of photographers from all over the world (in order to give voice to what young talents feel and wish to express). During the photographs selection process, I worked closely with each one of them in order to pick images that could reflect their conception of what fashion photography represents today.
FY!: What does the concept of Beauty stand for? Is it still relevant?
MF: I think the concept of Beauty is more relevant today than ever. There is no boundary to it: young fashion photographers are representing Beauty in a wide variety of ways. You can find it in imperfection, it is real. We have the opportunity to live in a wonderful melting pot, where we can just breathe Beauty. We are not looking for perfection, but simple truth. The photographers of the first TIMNBY exhibition want to illustrate an ironic and irreverant Beauty, without any frills. They get the point, in their own way.
FY!: Could you, please, give us an exclusive sneak peek at the THIS IS ME NOT BEING YOU exhibition?
MF: Nope, come visit the exhibition 😉
FY!: What is contemporaneity about? Who embodies its essence?
MF: I think contemporaneity is about the ability to effectively represent a point of view, with reference to matters of social or anthropological interest. Artists play this vital role.
FY!: Could you, please, complete the following sentence: “Art is…”?
MF: Art is a scream that breaks the silence.
FY!: In an over-saturated market, what does it take to successfully make a living out of photography?
MF: I don’t think there is a recipe for success. Many acclaimed photographers have a strong identity and you can “see” it through their work.
Photo by Winter Vandenbrink
FY!: Would you say contemporary fashion photographers are adopting a commercial approach to the art of photography, losing sight of the origins of the medium?
MF: On the contrary, I think they are doing the opposite. They are no longer (simply) shooting models wearing clothes and accessories, but rather searching for a more intimate approach to their subjects and seldom reaching out for matters of social interest. Today fashion photography is not just an expression of emerging styles and trends, but rather – in a historical context of crisis and contraddictions – a window on contemporary culture.
FY!: In an Instagram-led reality, what defines the boundary between art and non-art?
MF: Research and true content. Anyone – well, almost anyone – can take good looking pictures with (just) their phones today. Nevertheless, these meaningless shots are destined to drown in oceans of nonsense.
FY!: Would you say social networks are affecting the phenomenon of aesthetic taste?
MF: I think social networks and aesthetic taste strongly affect each other. It works both ways, really.
FY!: What’s today really FUCKING YOUNG!?
MF: Be yourself, laugh, dance. No matter what. This is… really FUCKING YOU!
