BLIXEN

In my most recent update, I shared the exciting developments with the "Broken Banknote" series that's currently in the works. Concurrently, I've been scouting fresh creative territories to push my artistic boundaries further.

A sentiment I expressed a while back centered on my pursuit of autonomy. I've always believed in having full control over the artistic journey. For painters, mastering the paint and canvas is foundational. Yet, when it comes to film media, many relinquish the intricacies of processing, printing, and presentation to specialized labs. The digital realm further complicates this, introducing numerous electronic intermediaries. Does this multiplicity diminish an image's value? Or does it detract from the artwork's unique essence, mirroring the artist's intent and vision? Its impact on consumer perception remains a debate.

Historically, photography's classification as "fine art" has been contentious due to the potential for mass reproduction from negatives. The saving grace, in the eyes of collectors, was often the manually crafted optical print, bearing the artist's signature. Such prints were typically rare, a consequence of the laborious darkroom process. It underscores the challenge of preserving uniqueness in photography. In today's era, dominated by digital mediums, the allure of pure analog photography, culminating in optical prints, has become somewhat of a rarity, celebrated in nice artistic circles in small corners around the globe.

I'd like to shed some light on my approach. Leveraging a changing tent for film, I've adapted to daylight operations, using materials that shield against daylight exposure. My experiments with expired film and cross-processing are deliberate, aiming for an unmatched outcome with each negative.

I'm endlessly fascinated by the role of chemistry and temperature, their unpredictable outcomes introducing an element of spontaneity. Yes, there's a risk the result might be less than ideal, but that unpredictability is what I find thrilling. Against the backdrop of the digitally perfected, hyper-saturated, and meticulously curated imagery of today's social media landscape, the organic interplay of film and chemicals emerges as a refreshing contrast. In the end, my intentional modifications in chemical composition and temperature ensure every negative is not repeatable. While, I get the value to me, it remains to be seen if buyers and collectirs will see the same value I do.