Charlotte Krieger
CHARLOTTE KRIEGER LIKES TO PLAY AROUND WITH THE MATERIALITY OF FASHION AND EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY. HER ORGANIC APPRECIATION OF A VARIETY OF PRACTICES HAS LED HER TO MANIPULATE AND DECONSTRUCT THE PHOTOGRAPHIC FORMAT, OFTEN LITERALLY, VIA COLLAGE AND MIXED MEDIA.
She’s painted directly onto models, messed around with digital painting in post, and now mostly paints directly onto negatives. Also elevating her photography is her use of shadow, negative space, masks, props, and other sculptural and performative gestures. Fabric is a common ingredient in Krieger’s photography too, so she’s a favorite for brands and campaigns that seek to foreground the construction, contours, and dimensionality of their items. As well as these expanded elements, there’s also just a real sense of fun and discovery in Charlotte’s images. Deconstruction and abstraction are always grounded in brilliant colors, patterns, and portraits. She’s shot for a variety of clients—designers, musicians, cultural institutions, festivals, and visual artists—but always brings the same sense of curiousness and vitality to the frame.
HOW DO YOU CREATE AT HOME?
HOW HAS THIS BEEN DIFFERENT FROM YOUR REGULAR PROCESS?
Creating from home is a bit different for me, as I usually shoot in a studio or on an outside location. I also work more with people, so this situation creates a different dynamic for me. I also mostly shoot on film, and as the labs are closed now, I had to shoot digital for this series. I don’t have a lot of material with me, so the challenge was also to work with natural light only.
ARE YOU ABLE TO WORK IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD OR YOUR STUDIO DURING THIS SITUATION? OR IS IT JUST FROM HOME?
I only worked from home. I’m lucky to have a garden, so this extends a lot of the possibilities. I am currently in Lausanne, and the Swiss policy about the virus is less strict than in France. I am able to see some close friends (keeping distances), and the rendez-vous is in my garden once a week. This allowed me to photograph some portraits and body parts.
HAS THIS SITUATION ENCOURAGED OR EVEN DEMANDED
YOU TO TRY SOMETHING NEW?
I feel this situation basically demands me to be resourceful and also to be able to see my environment with a fresh eye. I looked at my objects more deeply, and observed how the light moves inside my apartment.
I usually shoot on film, and then I do some physical post production with paint on the negatives, or I print my images and then do collages, etc. This is not possible at the moment, so I used a digital camera. I then had to figure out how to work with my images—I don’t have a printer at home. So I cut and shred some papers, scanned them and then used them to do some digital collages. I also painted some forms and then scanned the paintings. This creates a materiality that is a bit different than what I normally do.
DO YOU HAVE A NEW OR DIFFERENT WAY
OF STAYING INTERESTED, INSPIRED, OR MOTIVATED?
Not really… I always have a lot of ideas, I write down a lot of stuff and I have always collected a lot of images. I think in this situation where I don’t have a lot of commission work, I have less stress and more time to think deeply about what I really like. I also had time to reopen photography and art books.
“I ALSO PAINTED SOME FORMS AND THEN SCANNED THE PAINTINGS. THIS CREATES A MATERIALITY THAT IS A BIT DIFFERENT THAN WHAT I NORMALLY DO.”
HOW HAVE THESE CHANGES TO YOUR LIFE ALTERED YOUR WORK?
I don’t feel it has changed a lot, except maybe that I do a bit more still life than I usually do. But it made me realize that I love it.
IS THERE ANYTHING POSITIVE (OR NEGATIVE) YOU CAN SEE COMING
OUT OF THIS SITUATION FOR YOUR WORK?
The very concrete observation is that it is hard financially. Other than that, I see a lot of positive things coming out of this. Mostly reflecting on the way of working, to know that it is possible to create some interesting things without necessarily being stressed out all the time (I am a very anxious person). I also feel that it is an occasion for creatives to work on more personal projects.
WHO ELSE'S WORK MIGHT YOU WANT TO SEE FEATURED ON TSUKI?
I don’t have a specific name, but in general I would be curious to see what fashion and advertising photographers would shoot. To see a more intimate, personal side of their work, and how working alone (or almost) would impact their work.