Doing It Every Which Way
Klara Johanna Michel serves up steamy, pornographic long-exposures followed by cold, statuesque, hand-painted portraits
Where many of her contemporaries would opt for creating carefree imagery, Klara Johanna Michel heavily stylizes and heavy pets the subjects in her work. heavily stylizes her subjects to seemingly echo the aesthetics of an early artistic movement.
Be it her hand-painted portraits or her long-exposure porn shots, this young Berlin-based photographer commits to her vision. The two series featured in this interview — Michel’s hand colored photographs and her series Porn — inhabit different ends of aesthetic and emotional spectra. The first is controlled; the second is loose. The hand-painted portraits are heroic, whereas the porn shots are fleeting, perhaps shaming. Strong lines and facial features in the first series, then the blur latterly.
For her portraits, Michel says she is influenced by classical and Renaissance statue. In the Porn series, is she responding to the deliberate cold and motionless auras she conjures in her portraiture?
“I like to admire the person who is in front of my camera. Put them higher than me. Show the cold, unemotional beauty in them as if they were made of marble.” — Klara Johanna Michel.
It certainly appears she’s seeking a carnal contrast to the overt religiosity of her statuesque models. Michel goes from the sacred to the profane and back again.
We wanted to know more about her eclectic vision and Klara Johanna Michel kindly fielded our questions.
Q & A
How would you describe your photographic style?
I’d define my style as ambivalent. The aesthetic beauty of my subjects tends to resonate with people who see my work. In general I can say that I don’t have a problem with this.
However, there is another aspect that I consider crucial: the cool, dark, almost religious atmosphere. Faces set in stone, whose beauty and dignity can almost cause pain to the viewer.
What do you usually take photos of?
I predominantly photograph people. I don’t shoot spontaneously; sittings with my subjects are arranged and discussed. Sometimes, I shoot landscapes or still life. However, these function mostly as supportive material to the portraits. Urban spaces or realistic backdrops don’t draw my attention. In general, I try to avoid everyday content. My main concern is with my subject.
Your colored photos are completely fascinating. When did you begin doing this? How did the idea of coloring photos come to you?
I felt the need to bring more of myself into the pictures, to be closer to them. Manually retouching is incredibly satisfying to me.
Please describe to us your entire process of making colored photos, from shooting down to the coloring itself.
I shoot in black and white, mostly medium format. I color the negatives by hand. How I do it depends on the situation, but how exactly I’d like to keep to myself. But I recommend trying different things out, discover new techniques.
Another series that caught our attention in particular was Porn, in which it appears you have made use of long exposure and/or double/multiple exposure in capturing the sexual act.
The porn series is one of my oldest probably photographed about eight years ago. The idea was to soften the harsh imagery of hardcore porn by using long exposures.
What was your goal in creating it?
If I recall correctly, I wanted to work with things that I had an interest in at the time, namely pornography. I searched for scenes showing acrobatic positions and attempted to capture these. I was surprised by how much sensibility a long exposure can add to such images.
And the shooting process?
Long exposures of hardcore porn on screen. Shot with a Nikon FE on color film.
Aside from these, what other photographic technique/s do you also usually do?
I experiment with different techniques and I learn more every day. I want to find more tools and ways to create. I’m now experimenting with large format photography.
What, for you, is the importance of shooting on film in this day and age?
Well, I have a digital camera but I never use it due to [me] never being happy with the results. It looks robotic to me. Analog works for me. It’s what I love. But maybe I just never concentrated on digital, [like how] I do on film.
What and/or who inspires you?
I love sculpture, plastic work, and Christian imagery. Caravaggio especially inspires me. The lighting in his images is fantastic. But I also find inspiration in music: psych, post, punk, garage.
Aside from photography, what else do you do?
I mostly spend all my time with my work. Apart from that I enjoy music and concerts. But I try to constantly organize and conceptualize shoots. At this stage I feel really fortunate because I have a lot of ideas, which now only need to be put in practice.
What keeps you busy these days? Are there any current and/or upcoming exhibits or projects that you’d like to promote?
Yes. I am studying photography and currently working on my final series. It’s going to be about Occultism and sects. The exhibition will be in July 2017 in Berlin.
I’m also doing a project with my dear friend Sophia M.A. Eisenhut, who’s an amazing illustrator and friend. We’re working on a booklet together. If you’re interested in getting a print, feel free to get in touch with us. You can find her site here.
All images: Klara Johanna Michel,
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