MONA KUHN INTERVIEW
2021-03-11Having been celebrated and exhibited internationally for over two decades, and with her photographs held in private and public collections worldwide, Mona Kuhn’s distinctive style and ability to see the elegance and beauty in the natural has made her one of the most significant contemporary photographers and fine artists working today. Kuhn’s images appear at times as if they’re not even photographs at all, but instead become their own form of living visual poetry. The simplicity and mystic to Kuhn’s dreamy landscapes and landscapes of thebody have a certain special timelessness.
Now with her first career retrospective, ‘Work’s’, Kuhn presents an extensive selection of work from her archives, including some previously unseen images, accompanied by texts from several acclaimed writers and an insightful interview with Elizabeth Avedon. Her forthcoming publications ‘Study’ and ‘853 Kings Road’ will be published in 2021 by TBW Books and Steidl respectively. I caught up with Kuhn to talk spirituality, magic light and the bloom and dust in California deserts.
How’s it in LA during this crazy time?
It has been challenging but at the same time, there is a unifying feeling that we are all going through this together.
And how has the last year been for you with everything going on in the world – has the pandemic changed the way you take and think about your photographs, or has it not?
It breaks my heart not to be able to photograph for over a year, as spontaneously as it used to be. In the last months, I have been spending more time engaged in conversations with close friends, and although we weren’t able to create new images, we grew as people, as friends and I have a feeling we shared deeper emotions that are in a way our own lessons of life.
How did spending your formative years in Brazil impact you and your images? I’ve heard you talk about being German in the week and then Brazilian at the weekends…
Growing up in Brazil gave me a magical childhood. Back then, parents were not hovering over kids, and I grew up with a wonderful sense of freedom and that gave me confidence. I remember jumping waves or riding the bike with friends till sunset. We had to be responsible, but there was a lot more freedom as well, and happiness came in simple gestures and forms.
Let’s talk about your latest beautiful book ‘Works’! How did the project come about?
During Paris Photo 2019, Andrew Sanigar from Thames & Hudson approached me with the idea of bringing several of my previous series, as well as new ones, into one monograph. I first thought the task would be impossible, because I am always looking forward and thinking about what to do next. But a few months later, when the pandemic arrived and everything came to a halt, it created this vacuum that in a weird way was perfect for me to take a moment and look back in time.
With this book being a retrospective, how was editing and selecting your images different this time?
There was an abundance of memories springing out from all these proof sheets. Imagine looking at 20+ years of the most creative and enjoyable moments in your life. It felt like opening a magical bottle with a genie coming out to remind me of all the stories surrounding the moments in which so many of these images were taken. I soon realized I am too close to the works and too emotional to make the sometimes difficult editing decisions, so I worked closely together with Jeremy Kunze, the book designer, and Andrew Sanigar. They understand my artistic sensibilities, and with their advice, I was able to bring the images together in a balanced and harmonious way.
What is it about the American desert that you’re drawn to?
The desert fascinates me because it is bare. And nonetheless, it is in this minimalism that you can find the Universe above, and within you.
When choosing locations for projects, such as Acido Dorado (the reflective house in the middle of the Californian desert designed by American architect Robert Stone), how do you know when it’s the right space for the narrative?
At the time I started photographing at Robert’s house, I was looking for ways of abstracting the figure. In a way, the glass house with mirrors felt like an extension of my own camera, and the perfect setting for the series “She Disappeared into Complete Silence.” In that space, we were able to push representation into a series of images emphasizing a refracted presence and its metaphors. Many of the images were shot by observing tangents, and I enjoyed working with variations of basically the same material: sand, glass, and mirrors.
Walking into it, I did not know it was right, but I had a feeling that Jacintha and I could chisel that space and light into new images. It is never for sure, you just have to give it a try.
I love the idea you’ve talked about before of something blooming and then turning into dust, and how that idea of landscape fading can link into the narrative of a portrait.
I was taken by the story of a desert flower coming up during the spring. It has been said that in the desert, spring lasts only one day. The spring flower sprouts in the morning and whitters by the end of that day. I was interested in this vulnerable and fragile sense of beauty and mystery.
You’ve also talked about Georgia O’Keefe being an inspiration and the ‘Faraway Nearby’. Tell me more about that.
While photographing the Succulents, I often had that feeling I no longer know if I am looking at underwater corrals, close up of plants or women’s body parts. I often felt the forms had a repeating pattern, like a symphony of delicate nuances, revealing their secrets in nature.
There’s a strong sense of spirituality and connection that stands out in your pictures. Would you describe yourself as a spiritual person?
Yes, I care deeply about people and I cherish the body as a source of inspiration, as a platform for metaphors, for intimacy and complexities of human nature. It is my way of investigating the deepest questions about life.
Shooting at particular times like summer and at sunrise and sunset, working with that changing moment in time just before or just after darkness creates a special magic within your work. You’re a true master of light! Where does your sensitivity with light and shadow come from?
It’s from observation! I look at the sun and imagine it to be an artist sculpting the world around us with light. Then I step in and try to do the same. Every season has its own tonalities and angles to the light. It is one if the joys of being alive, to be able to observe it.
Photographing people you know is a really organic approach. How does that more authentic way of meeting or knowing a subject change the images you end up with?
I am interested in getting to know somebody, in the conversations and lessons we can learn from each other. The photographs end us happening because we both want it to happen. I like to think my friendships exist with or without photography, and that the work we do feels authentic and real.
How do you decide the scale of your work when exhibiting?
Some of the works look best as a small print, like the portraits in the Bordeaux Series. I wanted them to feel like a delicate figure sketch. While other images, like the American desert landscapes call for a larger scale. In general, I let the work guide me.
How do you balance personal, more artistic work and your more commercial work for brands such as Chanel, Bottega and DIOR? Can we expect more fashion photography soon?
Early on, the commercial work allowed me to redirect funds to my personal work. Then once in a while, my personal work would inspire a Creative Director who then approaches me for a commercial campaign. At this point, there is an ongoing symbiosis between both.
Who are some of your major influences? Does music influence your work at all? What are you listening to at the moment? And what’s your next move?
My influences shift because I am always looking to what’s next and eager to learn something new. But in a nutshell, I would say that I learned the most by looking at Richard Diebenkorn’s composition, Lucien Freud’s relationship with models, Georgia O’Keeffe’s subtleties and Lee Miller’s courage.
Does music influence your work at all? What are you listening to at the moment?
Yes, music is a big part of my life, I am married to a composer, and I enjoy all sorts of music, from contemporary to minimalism. Right now, I am listening to “Stars” by Boris Salchow.
What are your hopes and expectations for the future?
As we come out of this pandemic, I would like to be part of a positive force, emphasizing on all that what unites us as people, as we move forward together.
Words – Lo Harley @lolita_harley
MONA KUHN: WORKS is published 11 March by Thames & Hudson, price £40, available from thamesandhudson.com and all good book stores.
