Tuesday, 22 September 2015

Feature Shoot

Life at Sea with Legendary Greek Fishermen

Posted: 22 Sep 2015 05:00 AM PDT

“I learned from my grandfather and my father. This knowledge will be lost, as there is no one to follow the tradition. When we’re gone, it’s over. I feel empty when I go ashore, then I have the feeling of being worthless. My children want me to stop. I told them, if you love me, you have to let me go. My whole life is in the sea.”—Thanasis Tantanis

The above excerpt, shared with photographer Christian Stemper is not unique to Mr. Tantanis. All of the 31 fishermen interviewed for the project, Wolves of the Sea, or Lupi Maris, shared this sentiment. Their love of the sea is unparalleled and unwavering. Many of these men speak of their old, wooden boats as if they were wives. One has said being at sea saved his life, another has declared that his “whole life” is, in fact, the sea.
In 2014 Stemper returned to Paros with a team to make a documentary about the lives and work of these Greek fishermen, who are the last of their kind in Paros. The resulting work is a sharp, empathetic project that is equal parts portraiture and interviews. He manages to photograph each fisherman’s boat as if the boat had personality, elevating these photographs from mere documentation of inanimate object to something much more imbued with life, experience, and history.

How did it feel being on the boats with these men? Were you able to slip into their lives for a little bit and gain a little perspective on what it means/feel to be a solitary man at sea?
“It is not easy to get deeper with these “wolves of the sea”, they are special characters. They chose to spend half of their lives alone on the sea, not out of necessity but out of choice. Some are open, some are not. It was difficult to get interviews with them, as a tourist you can not go there and [just start] taking pictures. You need to know somebody first [to gain trust].
I learned a lot from these men. They may look poor to us, but there are rich! Rich of soul, placidity, patience…they have a hard life but they are happy. It shows that with a simple life you can be more happy, there is no need for all this modern things like the iPhone, an iPad, a big TV, the newest car, etc. They do what they love, and they are happy. As time goes on, and everything moves faster and faster, these people still have their old rhythm. So, [I learned] to to reduce the speed of time (for myself) in the modern civilization.”

So many female names for boats and yet – no women captains! How come there are no female boat captains?
“I know only one woman who goes fishing. On a bigger boat and with her family. She is, I guess, the only one. It is not forbidden, it just doesn’t happen. The relation to the boats it is very special. For the fishermen their boats are like their second wife, so they have one at land and one at sea.”
Did you find a ‘through-line’ running through the personalities of these men? What
does it take to give your “whole life” to the sea?
“The through-line is their love of the sea. During hard times, when they could not make their living out of fishing, they did other jobs – radio operator for the marines, submarine sailors, sailors for different companies. But they all stayed out at sea, not on land. For some interviews we had to go on the boat (it was in the harbor), because the fishermen did not want to come on land.”

Are these men facing competition with all of these new “plastic boats” out there? How will they stay in business? And what does ‘plastic boat’ represent to these men?
“The fishermen Thanasis Tantanis said: “For me, the plastic boats are not real boats. They are wash troughs, with which you will sink. In a storm, the wooden boat is like a horse that lifts his head proudly, starts running and can not be stopped.”
There are only 4 professional fishermen left on Paros. They all have big boats, some plastic boats. To stay competitive, you need to go with times. The owner of the small wooden Kaiki (greek name for this boats) are all doing it in this times for part-time and passion. In the old days, when there were younger they had a good life, there was enough fish to catch and they could build there houses, and the house of the daughter. These days it become very difficult, not much fish left, big industry fishing and the income it is not enough to survive. They try to keep their traditions alive, but it is getting harder and harder.”
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The Power of the Self: Shen Wei’s Photographic Exploration and Evolution (NSFW)

Posted: 21 Sep 2015 07:28 AM PDT

Como, 2009 © Shen Wei, courtesy Flowers Gallery/www.minormattersbooks.com

Bent, 2009 ©Shen Wei, courtesy FlowersGallery/www.minormattersbooks.com
We cannot know the world if we do not first know ourselves and our place in it. We cannot know ourselves if we do not investigate. For New York City based photographer Shen Wei, whose collection of self-portraits entitled I Miss You Already is almost set to go to print with Minor Matters Books, revealing his process of “self-reflection and self-discovery” over the course of several years began by turning the camera on himself. The result is a collection of thoughtful and illuminating self-portraits, made in an array of environmental set-ups and using mostly ambient light. The images tend to highlight just parts of his body at a time but cumulatively, his whole self—inside and out—is revealed. Although the history of photography is rich with self-portraits, those that endure share the qualities of honesty, intent, innovation, and vulnerability. The portraits made by Shen Wei are no different. We spoke with him about his artist residency that allowed for the expansion of this work, his methods, and future plans.
Burn2012

Touch, 2010 © Shen Wei, courtesy Flowers Gallery/www.minormattersbooks.com
How did the artist’s residency in Italy inspire you to begin/continue your work that would become I Miss you Already?
“The residency was for The Rockefeller Foundation at Bellagio Center in Italy, and it was my very first artist residency. I have always been fascinated by European art, especially Italian Renaissance paintings, so I felt I was in the right place at the right time. I had the opportunity to explore numerous art museums and historic towns, and I felt very inspired to make some new work. Bellagio is a quiet and beautiful place, so it was the perfect setting for me to do some introspective thinking. At first, I was writing and making watercolor paintings, and then I started to make self-portraits. The first photograph I took for I Miss You Already wasBent (2009). I made it after meditating in a cave near where I was living. I had this great sense of freedom, openness and energy, and my motivation was very instinctual and pure. I felt very self-connected.”
Earthly2012

New York, 2010 © Shen Wei, courtesy Flowers Gallery/www.minormattersbooks.com
You mention that each photograph from this series is imbued with possibility: rebellious but harnessed by boundaries, learning acceptance. Why is that? What have you learned about yourself (or your past/your wants/your desires) in the making of these photographs?
“Every photograph from I Miss You Already was made in different place, in a different mood, and for different reasons. In the beginning, I did feel a little awkward about being naked and standing alone in front my camera, but over time it became quite natural to me. I also grew to like the rather peaceful and often silent process of making these self-portraits. These photographs are like a diary to me, documenting everything: where I go, how I feel, what I do, and whom I am with, from 2009–2015. I’ve found that the more self-portraits I make, the more open I become, and the more I understand myself. This project has certainly has changed me forever in many ways, but I try to balance it and leave room for the imagination, too, so that each image is open-ended, and has a little bit of mystery.”
Past2010

Smell, 2009 © Shen Wei, courtesy Flowers Gallery/www.minormattersbooks.com
When you began making these images, did you have a book in mind? Congratulations on the upcoming book (fingers crossed) – anything you’d like to share about this effort?
“I didn’t think about a book format while making the photographs, but after I decided to wrap the project up at the beginning of 2015, I made a book-dummy and showed it to Minor Matters. I really like the model and process of how they publish their books, and I am so happy to be working with them. The book is on pre-sale now through their website www.MinorMattersBooks.com. It will move forward to be published if the pre-sales reach 500 copies before November 1st 2015, so I am keeping my fingers crossed, too!
Tea2010