In multidisciplinary artist Tarek Mawad’s work, light is as much a protagonist as his varied subjects. Be it his light installations or mapping projections; studio photographs or the candid shots of Muay Thai fighters and Guru Baba Vijay Nund; for the German artist, lighting “defines the mood, it sets the atmosphere, it creates depth, it’s everywhere.”
A former member of the 3hund collective, Mawad has recently shifted his practice from 3D animations and mapping projections to photography. His work marries his studious understanding of light with the rawness of analogue photography resulting in a captivating interplay with light and shape, pushing the light projection photography to the limits. “The fact that I was working in the field of digital media for so long made me appreciate the realness of this approach and made me strive for authenticity within my creativity,” he says.
Be it his striking photographs that evoke the cyberpunk aesthetic of Matrix; his documentation of Hong Kong’s neon nights or Thailand travel journals; Light, shape and subject all work to deliver Mawad’s cryptic narratives that try to decode ‘sweet science of boxing’ or suggest hazy sci-fi fantasies. “I very often have ideas and images popping up in my head without knowing their meaning,” the artist says. “Not defining a concrete idea allows viewers to interpret my photographs without a literal definition of what it’s about,” he adds. “I want the viewers to interpret freely, the same way I create my visual concepts.”
Although Mawad’s photographic work has a signature perennial quality of texture and a scenic atmosphere, there is a certain fluidity to his work. It ranges in genre, from portraits to landscapes to cityscapes. “Working repeatedly on the same thing over and over again does not challenge me as an artist,” he says. Contrary to his elaborately lit studio work, his documentary photographs rely heavily on the candour of the moment; stories are captured as they play out in their intimate settings with Mawad as a fully integrated observer of the life running its course. “I always loved the notion of capturing a moment in one single image,” he says. “As a photographer, you're the only person who knows the story behind the image.”
Be it his striking photographs that evoke the cyberpunk aesthetic of Matrix; his documentation of Hong Kong’s neon nights or Thailand travel journals; Light, shape and subject all work to deliver Mawad’s cryptic narratives that try to decode ‘sweet science of boxing’ or suggest hazy sci-fi fantasies. “I very often have ideas and images popping up in my head without knowing their meaning,” the artist says. “Not defining a concrete idea allows viewers to interpret my photographs without a literal definition of what it’s about,” he adds. “I want the viewers to interpret freely, the same way I create my visual concepts.”
Although Mawad’s photographic work has a signature perennial quality of texture and a scenic atmosphere, there is a certain fluidity to his work. It ranges in genre, from portraits to landscapes to cityscapes. “Working repeatedly on the same thing over and over again does not challenge me as an artist,” he says. Contrary to his elaborately lit studio work, his documentary photographs rely heavily on the candour of the moment; stories are captured as they play out in their intimate settings with Mawad as a fully integrated observer of the life running its course. “I always loved the notion of capturing a moment in one single image,” he says. “As a photographer, you're the only person who knows the story behind the image.”
Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you become interested in art? Do you have an artistic background in terms of education?
I was born in a small town close to Stuttgart, Germany. At a young age, I loved drawing, sculpting and doing craftwork. In primary school, I was that kid who was drawing their classmates in school. I was bound to study art. I studied Media Art and Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Saarbrücken, Germany. During that time, I was focusing on 2D/3D animation and specialised in character design/sculpting and character animation. Institutions and education were just a fraction of the development of my skill set.
Furthermore, I refined and learned an exponential number of techniques through inspiring people and life experiences. During the course of my studies, I was working closely with my former colleague and friend Friedrich van Schoor, who introduced me to projection mapping. As 3hund, we created light art projects like Bioluminescent Forest and Lucid, where we installed light shapes or projected on natural objects in real nature in order to give it a new meaning. The whole idea behind it was to create ingenious ideas with simple techniques.
Furthermore, I refined and learned an exponential number of techniques through inspiring people and life experiences. During the course of my studies, I was working closely with my former colleague and friend Friedrich van Schoor, who introduced me to projection mapping. As 3hund, we created light art projects like Bioluminescent Forest and Lucid, where we installed light shapes or projected on natural objects in real nature in order to give it a new meaning. The whole idea behind it was to create ingenious ideas with simple techniques.
Your work ranges from 3D animations to mapping projections and light installations. But a few years ago, you shifted your practice towards photography. What urged this transition?
I always loved the notion of capturing a moment in one single image. As a photographer, you're the only person who knows the story behind the image, making it very intimate and personal. In the beginning of 2019, Friedrich and I decided to separate and focus on ourselves. I’ve always seen photographers’ work with projection as very simple. For example, these types of photos where they project basic imagery onto models.
But I had never seen someone in photography who really used the power of projecting to its full capacity. So I wanted to use my knowledge that I had gained over the years in projection mapping/light installation and combine it with analogue photography. That was when I worked with Hanna Goldfisch. I wanted to capture everything on camera and I wanted it to be as real as possible, without any post-production manipulations. You can see the final result in my negatives. The fact that I was working in the field of digital media for so long made me appreciate the realness of this approach and made me strive for authenticity within my creativity.
You have mentioned that you tried your hand at photography at the times when you were set to focus on becoming a better 3D artist. How do you think photography has affected your 3D art and vice versa?
With 3D, I had to build scenes from scratch, and in order to light it realistically, I had to understand how lighting works. So I walked around the streets and took pictures of various lighting which enabled me to understand the behaviour of light and darkness, reflection, refraction, colour bleeding and observe the way light behaves on different surfaces in order to accurately rebuild a scene.
Photography has allowed me to explore the outside and take pictures with creative individuals, which was a great way to compensate my daily life as a 3D artist, where I had to sit in front of my working station most of the time. Photography has developed my composition skills, which has been a great benefit for my 3D work. These two skills, although completely different in the creative process, go hand in hand when it’s about the theatrical execution.
Photography has allowed me to explore the outside and take pictures with creative individuals, which was a great way to compensate my daily life as a 3D artist, where I had to sit in front of my working station most of the time. Photography has developed my composition skills, which has been a great benefit for my 3D work. These two skills, although completely different in the creative process, go hand in hand when it’s about the theatrical execution.
Be it your striking photographs that evoke the cyberpunk aesthetic of Matrix; your documentation of Hong Kong’s neon streets at night or your Thailand travel journals; There is a certain cinematic quality to your work. How important a role does cinema play in your practice? Do you intentionally seek out these filmic moments?
I am fond of movies and really captivated by the cinematic talent out there. The majority of my work is strictly influenced by cinematic frames and themes created in the movies. Some of my work is inspired by dreams and my imagination cultivated by experiences. Having said that, it really depends on the circumstances, I let my inspiration lead me to different fields.
We live in an image-led culture, and due to the abundance of images, the criteria for what counts as ‘a good photograph’ has slightly shifted. What does, in your opinion, make an image stand out today?
There are a lot of technical evaluations that help us understand whether the photograph is good or not, like the colour palette, the lighting, composition, simplicity or an interesting subject. Nevertheless, photographs speak to viewers differently. I believe if a photograph makes you stop scrolling, react, and spurs emotions, then that’s a good photograph.
From models to passers-by, Muay Thai fighters to Guru Baba Vijay Nund; Your living subjects range as much as the landscapes you photograph. What is your relationship with the people you photograph? Where do you find these people and what attracts you to them?
Like landscapes, people are just as diverse and fascinating to observe. I use my instinct a lot to engage and communicate with these individuals. I use social media platforms and street scouting to find interesting people to shoot with. For example, Hanna Goldfisch is a creative model from Berlin I met on Instagram; we immediately had a great work connection, we both felt comfortable working and experimenting with our ideas together. This led us to become really good friends. I am grateful that photography is a gateway to start working with strangers who end up being your buddies.
Another instance is Cuban boxer Maikel. At first, I saw how people were charging to take photos of him. Seeing this made me feel very uncomfortable and put me in a mindset where the primary focus became to always engage and find a connection with your subject, without taking advantage of a person’s status. Therefore, I decided to train with him, leaving my camera behind. I trained for a whole week and eventually integrated myself into their boxing family. This experience with him gave me another perspective and my eagerness to take pictures of him. Once I confronted him about this, he was happy that I had good intentions and that I respected him as a person.
Another instance is Cuban boxer Maikel. At first, I saw how people were charging to take photos of him. Seeing this made me feel very uncomfortable and put me in a mindset where the primary focus became to always engage and find a connection with your subject, without taking advantage of a person’s status. Therefore, I decided to train with him, leaving my camera behind. I trained for a whole week and eventually integrated myself into their boxing family. This experience with him gave me another perspective and my eagerness to take pictures of him. Once I confronted him about this, he was happy that I had good intentions and that I respected him as a person.
Even though all of your photographs have a perennial quality of texture and scenic atmosphere, there is a certain fluidity to your work. It ranges in genre, from portraits to landscape to cityscapes, which might be due to your multidisciplinary practice as an artist. What would you highlight as recurrent themes and aesthetics in your work?
Working repeatedly on the same thing over and over again does not challenge me as an artist. For this reason, I push myself to experiment and to develop numerous skills and techniques, which will in the future allow me to produce the quality of results I look for. Themes are often already applied by the different projects I work on. Nevertheless, I try to bring in my style and creative approach to produce the desired outcome.
Could you tell us a bit about your process? What comes first: story or the visual concept? What do you want your images to capture and convey?
It varies but most of the time the visual concept comes first. I very often have ideas and images popping up in my head without knowing their meaning. Consequently, the story usually becomes the narration of the development of my visual concept. Letting my vision flow without restrictions enforces my storytelling to become more personal and authentic. My images are a strong form of self-expression of my life. Not defining a concrete idea allows viewers to interpret my photographs without a literal definition of what it’s about. I want the viewers to interpret freely, the same way I create my visual concepts.
Light is as much a protagonist in your work as are your subjects: be it your light installations or mapping projections; or studio photographs where the lighting has a rather theatrical presence via colour blocks, writings, codes and lines. Why is light such a strong visual communicator in your work?
The importance of lighting is essential. It defines the mood, it sets the atmosphere, it creates depth, it’s everywhere; and since its everywhere, my objective is to master the way I can use light. I was fascinated when I saw how nature used its own light, like the bioluminescent deep sea or the auroras in the sky. I want to be able to create and control my setting. This is the reason why I give so much importance to light within my work.
Contrary to your studio work, your documentary photographs rely heavily on the candour of the moment; stories are captured as they play out in their intimate settings – The Lion of Havana series comes to mind. Is there a predetermined process you employ before you get behind the camera or do you work out compositions and storylines instinctively?
My first instance was photographing the Cuban boxing community because I have always had a passion for this sport, and Cuba has the roots of the sweet science of boxing, so I really wanted to capture the essence of it. I did some research, flew to Cuba and I was deeply influenced by the poetic art of this sport. This idea led me to approach this project instinctively, allowing myself to connect with the sportsman on a human level. Understanding their struggles and their appreciation of things we really take for granted. Hence why this series captures the raw beauty of the sport supported by heartwarming and humble individuals.
For many, quarantine has been a time to reflect, experiment and innovate. You have been shooting during the lockdown. Can you tell us how the ‘pause’ has affected or developed your practice?
Quarantine has given me a lot of time for many different things; self-reflection has been a big part of it. Experimentation was led by the limited resources I had in my home, where I had to adapt and create a suitable home studio to work in. It also enabled me to focus more on the different stages of photography. Where many of us focus on the shot or the post-production, I decided to give importance to the transition between the analogue film and the developed image. By experimenting with fluids and cut-outs of my film to create a destructive approach to my shoots, this is where my crafting skills came into play. As mentioned previously, the numerous techniques and working instinctively have facilitated the way I had to deal with quarantine. Working with what I had, and not limiting myself by things I didn’t have.
