Interview: Geray Mena -Evolving aesthetics, style and transitions-
How did you become a photographer and visual artist?
During his studies at the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam he worked across disciplines including painting, graffiti, sculpture and clothing design, always with photography involved, from visual research notes to documenting the process and final works.
How do you balance commercial work with self-directed art projects?
I started with self-initiated projects and my friends naturally asked me for help with their graduate projects and projects. Since I was doing it to help them, clients soon started contacting me. Luckily, in most cases they were looking for something I had already shown them.
What is your typical creative process when starting a new project?
I always need to feel curious and excited about a project, so I can proceed intuitively. Often I start thinking while walking or before going to sleep, drawing in my head the image I want to create. Then I try to get it as accurate as possible on paper. Over the last five years, I have had the great pleasure of having the opportunity to collaborate with many creative communities around the world. Especially in the last three years, I have been working daily with Sara Miguel in many different areas: art direction, set design, styling. This collaboration brings a wide range of genres, positive generational gaps and diverse aspects to Studio Geray Mena's work.
What was your experience of teaching at ECAL like and how has it influenced your work?
Although I have been teaching and lecturing in different academies and institutions for several years, my experience at ECAL was particularly inspiring. The students were motivated to explore the medium, both technically and conceptually. My one-week workshop was very intensive and I asked them to produce a 360º project that mixed the most important art/photography genres (still life, portrait, documentary and fashion). I encouraged and supported them to produce images both in the studio and on location. After the concepts and images were developed, with the help of Angèle Marignac-Serra, Lisa Mazenauer, Benjamin Plantier and Sara Miguel, we designed and printed copies for several publications. These remain in the ECAL library and are available for viewing. Teaching gave me an insight into how a new generation approaches the image-making process, which is linked to the notion of time invested in making, creating and consuming images that are produced around the world. This gives clues as to how more established creatives shape, adapt and present their work, making the generational gap a bonus.
What is the main inspiration behind your work?
During my studies and early career, I was influenced by everyday life, cityscapes, advertisements, architecture and nature. More recently, I have also explored translating my reading and dreams into images. Some of my constant inspirations include Paul Outerbridge, Irving Penn, Gary Perweiller, Jeff Wall, and more recently Christopher Williams, Roe Ethridge, Wolfgang Tillmans, Tbjorn Rodland, Blommers and Schumm and Buck Ellison. I am also excited by the work of my current friends and collaborators: Christophe Synak, Jonathan Castro & Koln Studio in graphic design, Jorge Penadès, Marta Armengol & Guillermo Santomá in architecture and design, Monica Mays, Marina Gonzalez Guerreiro & Carlos Fernandez Pello in visual art. My library is also a frequent source of inspiration. I like to open "2000 Wasted Years" and see how they successfully crossed different disciplines. Recently, "Anonymous Club" by Shayne Oliver has been interesting.
What motivated you to apply for the JAPAN PHOTO AWARD and what does this recognition mean to you?
Japan has always been a source of inspiration for me, whether it be for fashion or poetry. I heard about this festival from Xiaopeng Yuan, a photographer I respect. Being selected for the Japan Photo Award shows that visual language transcends political, geographical and cultural boundaries and belongs to the majority. The first understanding comes from within and depends on how it is projected outward.
What are your upcoming projects and exhibitions?
I am currently focused on the final stages of my first Dummy Book project, which I have been working on for the past 10 years. It is a beautiful process to see that there are many similarities between my images from 2014 and 2024. This project is a complete collection of images I submitted to the JAPAN PHOTO AWARD. I am also starting to work with a large format view camera again, and trying to be more mindful of my pre-shooting decisions.
How do you think new technologies like AI will impact the field of photography and your work?
We feel lucky to be part of a generation that grew up before the Internet and experienced the beginnings of a new digital age and the democratization of AI. In the last two years we have produced several projects with AI, highlighting the fallacies of tools that change every day. A good example is the editorial of Esquire magazine in Italy, where Emmanuel Amiguetti (editor) and Antonio Autorino (stylist) gave us freedom.
How has your style evolved and what were the main factors that influenced this evolution?
At first I worked mostly with objects (still lifes) in my studio. This was a way to understand the medium and have enough time to be happy with the composition, lighting and the result. It all started about 10 years ago during my studies in Amsterdam. I felt that the studio alone was not enough and after reading a quote by Susan Sontag that says "To photograph people is to violate them", I ventured into working with humans. And quite quickly, fashion clients started contacting me. Even though my knowledge was not yet sufficient, I depicted humans and fashion as objects, as textures and colors, while still respecting them. Nowadays, my applied work is split 50% - 50% between fashion and product, and I am able to apply what I learned in one field to the other, and sometimes I mix both, like in car campaigns and interiors.
What advice would you give to budding photographers trying to find their voice in the industry?
Almost everything has been said already and every motto sounds very trite, but I believe that following your intuition is the best tool you can have, it means combining instinct and intelligence most quickly.
When do you usually listen to music? What kind of music do you listen to? How does music influence you?
In any media, high culture and I try to learn from both subcultures . I also have a special space for silence, but I often listen to music without vocals while I work or in the studio.
Geray Mena
Geray's Playlist
