REBECCA ULICZKA
The photographer, born in Berlin (1985), was raised in Mexico and after finishing her University studies in Germany decided to pursue fine art photography in Spain. Currently the artist is based in Mexico where she explores the clash between her cultural roots and the confrontation between the earthly and spiritual.
Your greatest inspirations or influences?
In terms of influence I would say, Francesca Woodman, Joan Fontcuberta and Luis Gonzalez Palma among others
Tell us a bit about your creative process? Work you are most proud of, things you are looking forward to this year?
The experiences that I lived during my childhood and adolescence, are the leading direction that my projects are based on. Impacts that I experienced because of a change of cultures and surroundings that seemed extreme and far away from reality. These have led me to capture photographic images, series that tell stories, staged in a performative way, the female image that represents that ephemeral, mystical being in search of identity and truth, in a context of spaces in transition that serve as a scenario for the confrontation between the human being and the proposed topics.
Mexico and Berlin are two worlds that influenced my beliefs and cultural understanding, that lead me to question contemporary societies, the way in which certain socio-political beliefs are practiced, their truth and reality and the illusion that may be behind a concept.
We are in a new era, where the new generations are constantly living drastic changes, repositioning and redefining ideals that were valid at the time, but that in specific cultural areas, have evolved, giving birth to new trends, beliefs with a different character, ideologies and modus vivendi.
This year I’m finishing the PHotoEsPAÑA Masters programme and with it I’ll be participating in the annual Photo Festival 2021. Last year with other professionals from the photo world, we created an annual Diploma for emerging Photographers and our goal is really to help them establish their careers.
How has this year changed your creativity or how you see the world changing moving forward?
I’m used to traveling a lot. My work is mainly shown between Mexico and Spain and so far and I always try to attend my shows. This year it has been a challenge as in one hand many events were canceled, and on the other travel became too great of an obstacle due to the pandemic. I’m looking forward to retaking this opportunity. I really hope that we can soon go back to those big art events that all the art lovers have always enjoyed so much.
Do you think the art world needs to change, and if so how can it be improved.
The art world is constantly changing and I think it needs to do so, it’s a good thing. I can’t tell if the word is - improve -, but change is in my eyes always good, to keep improving ourselves and also to find it challenging to keep alive the need of art in the world.
I’ve thought about this from time to time, about the need society has for art in their lives. I don’t have a straight answer yet, since sometimes it seems to be created for a very small group of people, and then others feel automatically excluded and unable to appreciate it. This situation shouldn’t be, this is just something that I consider would be an essential in culture and school, just as math and languages.
