CONVERSATION WITH THE ARTIST
Our current exhibition, Truth and Grace in Hamtramck, features the beautifully quiet images of daily life captured by Roy Feldman. Recently reviewed by Detroit Art Review. In between watching Russian movies by Andrei Tarkovsky, reading books by Patti Smith and cooking, we managed to catch up with Roy in his home in Hamtramck and ask him a few questions:
Why did you create this series?
An artist friend said she no longer uses the word beauty, the meaning had become too diluted to be useful. Plato, Kant, Nietzsche and poets throughout time have written about it. All of them mention that for beauty to make an appearance, truth must be an ingredient. I can never claim my photographs reveal some universal truth, it's what I saw and felt about the subject when the picture was made and grace occasionally intervenes.
What are you working on now and has the current situation impacted your practice?
Currently, I am working on a series of Polaroid pictures which will be scanned and enlarged. The analog medium leaves a lot of the control of the photograph to chance. The view finder is not that accurate and cropping not possible, the color is determined by the temperature of the outside weather and exposure is a guess.
Does the social distancing aspect of this period help you focus or has it changed the trajectory of your work?
Social distancing has certainly changed the subject matter, - I am someone who photographs people.
Are there any apps or online tools that you find helpful in this time?
I have been reading the Brain Pickings Newsletter.
What do you do to separate your practice from the rest of the day?
I don't separate them, my photography is integrated into everything I do, perhaps too much.
