SARA MEINZ
Today we talk to Spanish photographer who is currently back in her beautiful hometown, Vigo.
What are your greatest inspirations or influences?
Inspiration can come from anywhere, really. From a bike ride to the music I listen to or the books I read. Lately, I've found hugely inspiring the work of Sam Contis in Deep Springs, reading East of Eden and the films from Chloé Zhao, to name some specifics.
Tell us a bit about your creative process.
I guess my creative process has been shooting lots of bad pictures. I would let them rest and, months later, go back to the archive to see if I might find one picture that I liked enough to share. But while in lockdown, I delved into photobooks and rediscovered the power of editing and sequencing a body of work instead of making single pictures like I had been doing. So now I'm looking forward to creating narratives within photography projects. Currently, I am working on a series that reflects on the frustration and feeling of uncertainty caused due to the current crisis.
How has this year changed your creativity, or how you see the world changing moving forward?
Civilization has been turning very individualistic over the past few years. Nevertheless, the pandemic has reminded us that we must act and think as a whole. So my creativity per se hasn't changed, but the idea behind what I aim to do has evolved from "personal" work to more human inclined. Society has been frequently one of my subjects, though I rarely include people in my photographs. As an introvert, it's easy for me to take wander alone with a camera, taking pictures of the landscape and daily scenes. But I look forward to working closely with people and perhaps taking more portraits.
Who do you consider to be an icon of our time?
Altruist people.
Do you think the art world needs to change, and if so, how can it be improved?
Art always had the ability to drive our eyes towards topics that deserve more awareness. We are not only facing the pandemic but other important issues such as climate change and, still, inequality and racism. Therefore, art and the art world should represent the change we need to see and trace the path to follow. As a starting point, by leaving space for the underrepresented and exposing the environmental consequences.
What does well-being mean to you.
To me, it's about being grateful for what I already have, things that we might overlook every day, such as having food on the plate or access to clean water. And then trying each day to be a better person, living as peacefully as I can, doing what I enjoy the most.
