VARTAN KELECHIAN PHOTOGRAPHY
“It just so happened that I captured the essence of daily life, joy and struggles of a human being”. Interview with photographer Vartan Kelechian.
Though I was born on June 22, 1979 in Beirut to an Armenian father and Lebanese mother, my ancestry is of less consequence than my father’s sense of visual aesthetic. My mom would indulge his flair for amateur photography, unwittingly sparking my own curiosity and desire to observe my surroundings – if not differently at first, then certainly more attentively.
More importantly, I was inspired to channel my newfound affinity for images rushing through my cornea via my dad’s ‘Canomatic’ camera. In 2003, enthusiasm turned to purpose when I purchased my first Canon EOS 300D, and although the daily grind of making a living always preys on my passion and threatens to distract, the flame, as they say, can never truly be extinguished. A decade-long companionship with my former partner and her artistic vision bestowed upon me the kind of clarity and drive needed to keep the glow of my true calling shining bright indeed.
As she once said, “each one of us is instilled with an ability to discover. It is our duty to make the best of that gift.”
You’re invited to join me on my journey of discovery. By Bojan Ljubomir Preradovic
Career highlights for you so far?
I believe, my first exhibition on the "20th & 21st April 2017" and I have won a couple of awards from different online photography competitions, but the best is definitely yet to come :)
Your greatest inspirations or influences?
The work of other great masters always provide a powerful drive, such as
Jan Saudek, Helmut Newton & Jiri Ruzek, just to name a few..
I look at the message rather than technique. But i believe the biggest inspiration for any photographer… the people we meet.
How would you describe your visual identity or style?
My style generally is focused on facial expressions and the intricacies of a person’s complexion. Raw and straight to the point.
Favorite websites, social media handles or publications?
Most interesting response to your work so far that you've heard?
Since I shoot a lot in black and white, recently someone told me with my pictures i always remind them to the famous quote, "when you photograph people in color your capture their cloths but when you photograph people in black and white you capture their souls" by Ted Grant.
Tell us about your upcoming exhibition in Dubai, what is the theme of your show?
The most beautiful things are hidden from the eyes of the world.
The human mind is capable of envisioning things, ideas, entire worlds, beyond even our wildest dreams. And often, all it needs is a push. Something to bridge the gap between the tangible and the fantastical, allowing us to uncover where they become one.
Once we traverse the boundary separating a vision from its manifestation – its expression in the physical world – and truly ponder its beauty, we can surmise its origins, with appreciation of how it first came to life... and what it has since come to be.
"The ‘Black Tulip’ epitomizes the notion of birth, documents the formation of life, and explores the crystallization of ideas and messages through bodily shapes elegantly shrouded from the naked eye. A translucent piece of fabric represents the frontier that symbolically separates the viewer from the fertile female form and its contortions. Each image in the 10-piece series chronicles a stage of body formation, and with it, the blossom of the ‘tulip’ that gradually unfolds through the progressing frames.
The approach marks a departure from the photographer’s usual style, which has generally focused on facial expressions and the intriguing intricacies of a person’s complexion. The ‘Black Tulip’ is extraordinary precisely because it all began in the darkness – concealed from the curious gaze of the world. With each shot taken, its author was compelled to make the journey from imagination to reality, and both visualize each image and the exact place that it would assume in the series.
Experience the mystery, And the elusive miracle of life taking shape;
As seen through the lens of Vartan Kelechian.
Anything else you would like to share?
“The Black Tulip”, will open on Thursday, April 20 and Friday, April 21, 2017 at The Analog Room, The Westin, Mina Seyahi, between 6pm and 10pm.
With support from FujiFilm Middle East, the event will showcase a series of photographs that embody the notion of birth. The collection documents the captivating formation of life and ideas by exploring bodily shapes, which are elegantly and symbolically disguised from the naked eye.
Guests will watch the enchanting process unfold before them in the photographs, with contortion of the fertile female form delicately veiled by a translucent piece of fabric. Every image in the ten-piece series, featuring ten different models, chronicles a stage of body formation, and with it, tells the story of the blossoming ‘tulip’ that is gradually disclosed with the progressing frames.
The photographer is eager for audiences to join him on that voyage. “Someone very dear to me once said, ‘each one of us is instilled with an ability to discover. It is our duty to make the best of that gift’.”
Website: www.vartankelechian.comFacebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/V-photography/234486786572202Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/vartankelechian_photography/
