ARTIST ISMAIL ZAIDY USES PHOTOGRAPHY TO EXPLORE NOTIONS OF SPACE AND FAMILY

Just like music, self taught photographer Ismail Zaidy - L4artiste -creates compositions that provoke emotions and a zen like state. The art works are both mesmerizing and explosive. The 23 year old was born and raised in Marrakesh, Morocco and is now considered in the new generation of creatives showcasing their culture and traditions in a contemporary fashion. he Started taking pictures during summer of 2017, in order to find a way to express his inner perspective, around a hub of other unique creatives. the artist describes his style as abstract and minimalist, and explains that the photographs are taken with a Samsung S5.

My father is from Marrakesh, my mother from a small town called Oud Zem. My siblings I feature often in much of my work. Family is intrinsic to my creativity.

your greatest inspirations or influences?

When I was a kid, I used to live in a modest area in Marrakech where I was watched the way the women would wear their fabrics, hike and djelaba out on the streets. These women are still a huge inspiration for me today, and when I initiate a project I always try to show this side of my culture through my work. Starting in 2017, I was mainly capturing my surrounding environments in Morocco. Slowly I was getting comfortable as an artist and growing as a creative family, which I think led me to the minimal, abstract and poetic style of the pictures I capture today.

Tell us a bit about your creative process? Work you are most proud of, things you are looking forward to this year?

My creative process starts from finding ideas, getting props from the flea market and then composing the stage for the photo shoot and directing my accomplices to shoot the final visual. Nonetheless, the process also depends on my siblings, finding time between their school schedules. All my pictures are taken on my phone, and the accessibility of this tool is a great opportunity for many young photographers like me. Through its basic settings and low cost and the challenges and opportunities that come with it, I started to experiment with minimalist and abstract photography.

How has this year changed your creativity or how you see the world changing moving forward?

This year was a hard year for everybody, but it has also taught us how to deal with depression and anxiety and its also given us the chance to know the value and meaning of family and love.