Drasko Bogdanovic - intervista esclusiva per Jimi Paradise (english version)

Interviste: eccovi come promesso l'intervista esclusiva al fotografo Drasko Bogdanovic!

Le sue fotografie sono provocatorie e azzardate, ma che ne dite se ce lo facciamo spiegare direttamente da lui?!?

Q. Let's speak about your art: why did you start photographing and what do you like to photograph?

A. Since I was a teenager, I enjoyed camera, but it wasn't until about 8 or 9 years ago that I started to take it more seriously and began to exhibit and enjoy photography on a whole other level. It all began with some self portraits which I still enjoy doing.

Q. Your shots seems to celebrate nudes and male beauty, but with in a sort of provocative way: what do you want to tell us?

A. Male nudity is still a big taboo. Women's bodies have been exploited and commercialized through history, and to a degree they have been able to reclaim their bodies and sexuality. With men's nudity it's instantly considered sexual or pornographic. The penis changes everything. It's a clear indicator of state of arousal. People are still shocked seeing one when it's not in the porn setting. Men immediately compare themselves, and photograph draws attention to something else in a viewer, regardless if it's intentional or not.

Sexuality should be celebrated and enjoyed. We are all brought up with taboos and limits, either cultural, religious or societal, and when you think about it, sex is about personal pleasure, and not about satisfying perceived norms. I like to push those boundaries with people that I photograph.

Q. Do you put a bit of eroticism in your art: what's the "perfect erotic thing" in your mind?

A. Personally I'm an exhibitionist, but being a photographer makes me a voyeur, and I enjoy that a lot. There's something about tension between person in front and behind the camera that gets documented with each shot. That chemistry and charge is so beautiful. Even most ordinary moments can become erotic in the right setting and with the slightest gesture.

Q. Who's your "perfect" model/body you have photographed?

A. I love working with dancers and athletes, their bodies can be so graceful and strong at the same time. They have amazing presence and awareness of their body and of what it's capable of. People that put those muscles to use instead of working out simply for aesthetic reasons or just for vanity are always my favourite subjects.

Q. Do you travel a lot for your work? Where do you live? Do you like your country? Is ok for your work?

A. I come from very homophobic culture, I grew up in Balkans, but Toronto is my home and most of the work I do is here. Canada gives me freedom to express what i want. In a multicultural city like Toronto you really get to meet people from all over, people with all kinds of backgrounds, either cultural or sexual. Also it is interesting how differently Canadians and North Americans perceive nudity and sex compared to Europe.

Q. Nowadays what's the role and significance of photography? What's the point of shooting to the present day? And what about technology: are we all photographer today?

A. It has changed a lot recently. We have taken trillions of photographs since early 1800s when the first photograph was taken, and 20 percent were uploaded in the past two years alone. Everybody has a camera and instagram on their phone, it is a perfect hobby of self-expression. But with some exceptions, it has all become nothing more than a form of neurotic masturbation. It's a constant stream of forgettable images with a life span of few seconds of scrolling down the newsfeed of your favourite social media. I just wish people would pay at least a little bit more attention to angles and composition or things showing in background, it goes a long way.

Q. Let's speak about art in general: do you have fav artists? Do you have inspiring people in your mind while working?

A. A number of photographers have inspired me to pick up a camera and start doing what I'm doing. From early 20 century Hollywood photography to porn from the 70s or queer cinema, some of those images will always stay with me. But I get inspired by music, great performance art, by walking down the street, or by some abstract painting in the museum. When you surround yourself with creativity, it always results in more creativity. It's contagious.