anita līcis-ribak's blog

Towards the Light

Another one of my works from 'Towards the Light' series was awarded an Honorable Mention at the Monson Arts Council annual juried Spring Exhibition 'Black and White and Everything in Between'. One of the region's largest art shows, this year it features works in various media by 94 artists from 5 North East states . It runs through this Sunday, March 28 at 200 Main St. in Monson, MA.

From 'Towards the Light' Series. Milwaukee Art Museum (Quadracci Pavilion). Architect: Santiago Calatrava. Milwaukee, WI, 10/2005

I took this image while on a business trip to Milwaukee. I used a Canon PowerShot G6 digital point and shoot camera I took everywhere with me back then, and did a slight de-saturation of the image afterwards, along with some other basic editing.

Fraser Gallery Show

This post, in a shorter version, appeared first as a part of my Feb.27th blog post, 'The Object Stares Back'.  I decided to make a separate entry for it, with more details added.  So, here it is.... 

I have several photography shows coming up this year, and wanted to talk briefly about one of them.  

The show, which is a group photography exhibit of the 29 finalists of the 9th International Photography Competition organized by Fraser Gallery based in Washington DC/Bethesda MD will open on March 12, 2010 at Fraser Gallery in Bethesda MD, and will show two of my architectural photographs. 

It is an amazing collection of works, and I am truly honored to be part of this show.  You can see the selected works on-line here.  But it's the story behind the gallery itself I wanted to tell you.  

Once upon a time, a young aspiring photographer, born in the UK, and living in the US had a problem on her hands: 26 of her photographs which had just been exhibited in Scotland were "mysteriously" lost in transportation.  After two years of talks with the hosting gallery that led nowhere she decided to go to Scotland and see for herself. What followed was her suing the gallery, upon which all her works emerged intact from a dusty closet, as mysteriously as they had disappeared.  Ignited by her travelogue, the young tenacious artist decided to create her own gallery, where works of art would not get "lost", and which would treat all artists with respect.  Today, 13 or so years later, her inspired creation - Fraser Gallery - is a premier independent photography gallery in the greater Washington area, and a bustling hub of artistic activity.  If you are in Washington/Bethesda this spring, please come and see the show, and perhaps I will see you at the opening on March 12th. And if I am not there, please say hi for me to the owner, Catriona Fraser, the young tenacious artist in my story.  And don't go looking for dusty closets out there!  All the treasures will be on the walls! ;-)    

In the anticipation of the show, I was interviewed by The Gazette reporter Jordan Edwards from Washington D.C. yesterday.  The article, which will also include interviews with three other photographers participating in this show, will run in the Gazette on March 10.  I was curious to know why, out of the 29 artists, he had chosen to interview me.  He explained that he had wanted to focus on photographers from other states, on architectural photography, and on work of a woman photographer.  Obviously, I fit the bill!  But what was interesting to learn was that I was the only woman photographer from outside Washington DC whose work had been selected for the show.  Like architecture, photography still remains a male-dominated field.  Although, I am not a big fan of the word "domination".  How about outweigh?  At least when it comes to weight, we women don't mind to be on the losing side! ;-)  

So, among other things, the reporter asked me how I had arrived at architectural photography, why I took these particular photographs (the ones you see above), why I hadn't chosen photography as my profession to begin with, whether I altered my photographs digitally, and so on. All these questions got me thinking.   But I will leave this for one of my next posts... 

The Object Stares Back

I've come across a notion a few times that taking photographs is hiding behind one's camera. I wonder if that's how it is for others, but for me it doesn't work that way! When I am out taking photographs I feel very present in the moment, and very exposed (no pun intended :). I can pretty successfully blend with the surroundings (unless I am in Southern India!). But as soon as I get my camera ready I am announcing "Here's to looking at you!" And more often than not, there's the look back.

Sometimes I do wish I had one of those spy cameras! One too many times I've come across a situation that pleads to be recorded but I don't dare lifting my 'hideout gadget'. One such situation comes to mind. One very early morning in December of 2007 I walked into a small cafe in Taos, New Mexico, and met point-blank with a dozen or so wild, life-wise eyes staring at me from the assembly of the locals, all the color of sand - all of them - from the rugged boots, to their long worn-out coats, to crazy hair, to wide-brimmed hats that'd seen all kinds of weather.. But their eyes were sky-blue, glowing from this untameable mass of sand, penetrating, and ..eternal.. My hand was burning to pull out my camera. But something made me to just pause for a split second, walk in and past these stern sand people, and to stay put. (Perhaps I didn't want to find myself playing a character in a Western, besides it was way too early for that, at 6:30am! But to tell you the truth, I felt like an intruder..) I have the picture of these unforgettable faces clear in my mind, and it's a picture I never took. 

I've traveled a safe route in photography for a long time, shooting safe objects that were either familiar or that won't stare back: I photographed my family and friends in my teens, architecture in my 20-ies, cities, landscapes and abstract geometries in my 30-ies. And it is only recently that my gaze (and my camera) is turning more towards people. Most of my photographs of people are spontaneous snapshots of strangers I encounter. I find faces fascinating. I like imagining life stories of these people. I inevitably feel a strong affiliation with, and sympathy for everyone I photograph. But there are times when I need to step back, to not be drawn in too far. I sometimes wonder what happened to Diane Arbus, had she crossed an invisible line from which there was no coming back?

I just returned from a 2 week trip to the southern part of Southern India (South South India) For the first time I was asking people to pose for me, perhaps encouraged by their warm nature and smiles. So you will see from the pictures that I took during this trip, some of which I will be posting in small installments here, and on my photography website, www.anitalicis.com, that people were a strong focus for me (and yes, many were looking back!). Although I did take a fair number of abstract compositions, landscapes and even wild animals (I will be posting some of those as well)

An old man on the ocean before sunset. Marina beach. Chennai, India. 2010

Sages convene. Kannyakumari, the southernmost point of the subcontinent. India. 2010

Kavín stares back. Near Coimbatore. India. 2010

Late night's smoke. Madurai. India. 2010