"Do I aim my lens outside, toward the world surrounding me, or inside, toward myself?
Should I photograph the existing reality or create my own world, believable, yet non-
existent?". It's with these pertinent questions about the nature of photography that
Misha Gordin introduces us to her work and, looking at it, there are no doubts about
which road she took. Images of minimal shapes, harsh contrasts, rigorous compositions
and mysterious meanings have the strength of true icons. There are few photographers
able to do what she does.
For Misha Gordin, conceptual photography is an elevated way of artistic expression,
at the same level as painting, sculpture, poetry or music. The issue lies in the
"concept". She explains: "A poor concept, even if executed perfectly, still leads to
a poor photograph. Therefore, the most important element in a powerful image is the
concept". The idea and its materialisation through photographic language thus becomes
the essence of conceptual photograph's process. For that reason, her images have an
almost extreme simplicity and minimalism - so that the idea isn't shadowed and its
meaning isn't misinterpreted. As a clue, her homepage is entitled bsimple
Every photograph is always altered, although there is a tendency to believe that all
that is captured by the lens of a camera has to exist. And if that is particularly
true when it comes to digital photography, easily altered using a couple of Photoshop
tools, it isn't less true when it comes to traditional photography, where collages
and corrections have always been made. Maybe, for that reason, it won't surprise you
to know that all of Misha Gordin's work is done exclusively using conventional
processes of chemistry and laboratory.
Why does she do it? Once again, it all comes down to the conceptual aspect. Even
though digital technology is an excellent tool when it comes to artistic production,
it lacks an important aspect: the imperfection of human work. And that imperfection,
the occasional speck of dust, is what gives beauty and sense to every work of art.
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