The Lounge is a virtual Art Gallery, updated weekly. This space will showcase emerging or underutilized photographers.
Eye Candy for Monday.
This week I’d like to introduce you to Joanne Ratacjzak.
The simple facts:
+born in Poznan, Poland 1979
+moved to Konstanz, Germany in 86 then to Canada in 88(Mississauga)
+BFA from York in visual arts 04′(studied painting & photography)
I first met Joanne while she was assisting. I had no idea of the body of work she’s been quietly compiling for the last few years.
Here’s a little sampling.
Copyright Joanne Ratacjzak
Copyright Joanne Ratajczak
Copyright Joanne Ratajczak
Copryight Joanne Ratacjzak
Copyright Joanne Ratacjzak
I was so impressed when I saw Joanne’s website. Her style is so consistent and complete. Whether she’s shooting a person, a plate of food or a landscape – I could see her clean colour sense and perspective. A bit of a surprise from someone still working as an assistant.
Joanne says:
“Right now I’m in transition from assisting to shooting. For a long time I was unsure of the direction I wanted to go or even how my work fit into the bigger picture. Assisting allowed me the freedom to pursue my own projects as well as pay the rent. For a while I
was so satisfied with just making photographs that nothing else mattered. Just recently I have come to the point where making them is not enough, I want to start sharing them & this has brought me here. Ideally, I’d like to find a balance between assignment work &
personal projects.”
Joanne’s most recent project is “kanada.”
“Which grew out of the 7 weeks I spent in Poland in 2007 photographing the place of my birth. That trip reminded me of how little I truly understood my adopted home. I knew I had to explore it further.”
Check it out.
Copyright Joanne Ratacjzak
Copyright Joanne Ratcjzak
Copyright Joanne Ratacjzak
Copyright Joanne Ratacjzak
“Not too long ago a friend introduced me to the writings of Ryszard Kapuscinski, a Polish literary journalist. His writings contains a contagious childlike curiosity which takes you on journeys to unimaginable places. He makes me want to be an explorer. Paul Graham’s most recent book ‘A Shimmer of Possibility’ is a great example of seeing the beauty in everyday.”
Joanne’s work reminds me of Kathryn Parker Almanas, Rineke Djikstra and Laura Letinsky.
I’d love to check in with Joanne in a few months to see where she finds herself with her work AND paying the bills. This is the magic question (especially in a smaller market like Canada). How do we do what we want/love AND pay the bills? Anyone have an answer?
Copyright Joanne Ratajczak
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Heather – been reading your blog for a while and I have a question. What do you see in Joanne’s work that makes it exception and “art” photo worth? To me, it looks like lots of snapshots – many like those I have that have been taken on various vacations, etc. I’m really curious about what makes some photos art and others just snapshots. Thanks.
Nice photographs.. took me on a trip across Canada this morning which I haven’t done for some time. Thanks Joanne !
Hi Jan,
I’m Liz and i’m the one who posted The Lounge this week. What i see in Joanne’s work is a very distinct vision that’s very consistent. Her colour sense is beautiful and delicate. She’s able to tell us through landscape and portraiture what the identity of an environment is. There’s a subtlety to her work that asks you to look closer and find the details in her images and i think that’s a part of the charm of her photography. I like Joanne’s deliberate, meditative vision. I don’t see these as vacation snaps at all but if you’re vacation snaps look like that – then send them my way.
For some reason her photographs remind me of Paul Simon songs (both the content and the satisfaction you feel when you hear em) mixed with a bit of Charlotte Gainsbourg and the better photographs of Wolfgang Tillmans. Stuff like that sure don’t happen with my vacation snaps. Great photographs Joanne! Make like a million more.
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