Eurico Lino do Vale
Eurico Lino do Vale, was born in Oporto, 1966. He finishes the complete plan of studies in photography at Ar.Co. School of Arts, Lisbon. Scholarship from the Gulbenkian Foundation to the Royal College of Art, London and Meister Shuller at the Art Academie in Dusseldorf, Germany. He uses the portrait as the central subject of his conceptual work.
In this interview he told us how was his first contact with a camera, the main projects of his career, especially about the series “Portraits of Men” which will be presented on Goa Photo 2015
[GOA PHOTO] How did you start in photography? How was your first contact with a camera?
[LINO] Well the first time I had contact with a camera, was is 1974/75 when my father gave me a small camera during our vacation on the beach. I remember that I was very happy and started to do photographs of the family on vacation, which I still have. The film was in black and white and there was a shop where we use to go to develop the film and do the prints. Later I had other experiences with family portraits but this was the first contact.
[GOA PHOTO] Can you tell us a little bit of your career in photography, the main projects and experiences?
[LINO] Well, after the first years when I had my camera all the time, I realized that my eyes where going on the direction of the stillness in people even when they were moving. The fascination by the still expression of a face and the contemplation of that. Slowly I started planning to bring those persons I saw on the streets inside the studio. To do that I had to have an idea to unify the photos in order to make any sense. One of the first projects I did was with local workers like carpenter, taxi driver, vegetable sellers or cloths sellers, and I did a Series “ Working Labor Class” where the were in my studio dress as they where on a Sunday. This group of people made all the sense together side by side each one with his own life story.
After that I realized that I was going to continue doing this kind of series. And so I did. In the meantime I developed other kind of works related with cinema but always exploring the fascinating world of the human character. I went back to photography after one year when I was in Germany in a very traditional school of arts, in Dusseldorf. There I did many projects with portraits of people and came back to Lisbon Portugal to do one of the most fascinating projects. The “Alfama” portraits.
Alfama is a very old neighborhood from the time of the Arabs sec. V II where people live for many generations never going out from there. The streets are part of the daily life from those persons. I put an announce on the cafés inviting all the population to do a photographic portrait in a specific place borough from the local administration. I set there from 12:00 to 17:00 every day and waited from my first model. And they started coming every day. I had the most wonderful time during that period.
[GOA PHOTO] You can tell you are a portrait photographer? Or you have another definition about the photography you do?
[LINO] I think I am a photographer, no doubt about that. What I like most is the moment of the meeting between the two sides, the other and me.
[GOA PHOTO] About the work “Portraits of Men” how did you get this idea, and how was the photographic process? For you what was the most important output from this series?
[LINO] “Portraits of Men” came out following the idea of doing a series with children (which I did) and with women (which I also did but in color). I invited a series of men and explain them very few. I set them in front of a 35mm camera with natural light in the end of the afternoon almost with no light and asked them to be still as most as they could, and asked to look to the horizon. That was it. It was the most simple and fast project I ever did. My idea was to create the perfect mathematic equation of the classic men in its most and high definition. Every one should recognize itself, by looking to each portrait.
[GOA PHOTO] So far where have you presented this work? How was the audience feedback? And what do you expect from the Goa’s audience?
[LINO] This work was presented first in a gallery with all the men around one space and the walls painted in Dark blue. Then it was presented on a large event from the same gallery with many other works commemorating the 25th anniversary. It was presented in a separated room respecting the other conditions of the space and color. Later it was presented again in another large event with. The same conditions. The reaction of the common people is rather positive I thing but they have the same comment about this characters. They say they all look like brothers of some kind of group.
Others say they are prisoners. In Goa photo I believe they are going to be shown outside right? I have no idea about the reaction. I have never been in Goa. I know a few persons from Goa but they are Portuguese
[GOA PHOTO] The theme of Goa Photo’s first edition is “The Other”, so can you tell us how is “the other” present in the series you are going to present there?
[LINO] The other is present from the observation of someone like your self-standing still looking to his horizons and creating his own imagination.
[GOA PHOTO] As an artist, beyond the role of promoting photographers works, what do you think is the importance of a festival, and what can it do for photography?
[LINO] Every time I go to an exhibition or a festival, I come from there full of ideas. This kind of events is crucial when developing in society the culture of art and in special the photographic expression.
Originally published at goaphoto.tumblr.com.
