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Picture imperfect with Fernando Manso
Manso will be displaying his Luz Oxidada exhibit made up of 27 stunning and ethereal photographs for the first time in Dubai.
- PUBLISHED: Wed 22 Apr 2015, 9:05 PM UPDATED: Mon 29 Jul 2024, 4:21 PM
If you have a hard time deciphering whether Fernando Manso's artwork is made up of photographs or oil paintings, you're not alone.
The Spanish photographer, who will be showcasing his exhibit of visual images at RIRA Gallery, DIFC from today until April 30, prefers shooting with a large format film camera and has some rather unique methods for developing pictures.
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Manso will be displaying his Luz Oxidada exhibit made up of 27 stunning and ethereal photographs for the first time in Dubai. The title of the exhibition, which translated from Spanish means rusty or oxidised light, is in reference to the subjects and overall moods captured by his photographs. His use of long exposure promotes a feeling of solitude in his images, and he often leaves the film negatives outside exposed to the elements in order to achieve a more vintage effect.
“I often wait several weeks to take one single photograph,” Manso said. “This is my style and I only work with this system.”
“I always have an idea of how I want a picture to come out, but sometimes it's a surprise because I don't see the end result till many weeks or months later when I return to my processing lab.”
The Madrid native uses a custom-built camera similar to the type used more than a century ago - his photographs often exceed two metres in length - and his disdain for digital photography explains why he only produces a limited number of images each year. Having travelled extensively both as a commercial photographer and as an internationally exhibited artist, he is well-known for his portrayals of quiet landscapes and architectural structures throughout Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East.
“I am a romantic photographer. I only shoot when I feel it from my heart. It doesn't matter if one hour passes or a week, I am always very patient,” he said.
“I also avoid shooting in the sunlight in order to achieve an almost medical moment. People take thousands of pictures and the problem is that they do not take time to observe, they don't factor in the light or background because they can retouch everything on the computer.”
The son of an architect, Manso developed a passion early-on for photography during visits to local museums where he would study the artwork on display. From there he taught himself to shoot, garnering inspiration from the paintings he admired.
“Photography means to write with light,” he said. “My camera is like my friend, it's always with me.”
Catch the exhibit at RIRA Gallery until April 30.
