16/02/18
Q&A with The Naked Artist – Suzie Pindar
on the occasion of 3×3: An exhibition of nine women photographers
New Art Projects, London
11 January – 4 March 2018
Anna McNay: What are the key concerns or themes running through your
practice?
The Naked Artist – Suzie Pindar: I guess my personal
key themes are just that: they run from how I feel inside myself into my
practice, so to speak.
AMc: How much a part of your work does self-portraiture form?
TNA-SP: 90% is self-portraiture
AMc: As a woman looking at a woman (herself – but perhaps also other
women, if you also make portraits of others), how aware are you of the
conventions and load of the male gaze? To what extent do you work with or
subvert these?
TNA-SP: I have never worked with anyone else, nor do I ever
think of the male gaze.
AMc: How – if at all – does your sexuality influence or shape your work,
especially your self-portraits?
TNA-SP: Sometimes my sexuality can influence my work, but
more so a few years ago when I was still accepting myself.
AMc: As a woman who likes women, looking at women, do you feel your gaze
is different from the gaze of a heterosexual woman artist? In what way?
TNA-SP: No idea. I don’t think about it, if I am honest. I
just make my work for myself.
AMc: Can you say something about the work you are submitting for this
exhibition? How are you seeking to portray yourself? What are the key aspects
you’re drawing forth? Physical, psychological, sociological…?
TNA-SP: My work is about sharing how I am feeling, or was
feeling back then in 2015. At that time, I had depression, so my work was about
portraying The Naked Artist and trying to find ways to make myself feel better.
AMc: Do you seek to portray yourself as object, subject, or both? How
does this dynamic come through in your work?
TNA-SP: I feel like I am a subject within my work, an
extension to my practice.
AMc: Do you work in media other than photography? If so, how does the
gaze offered by the camera differ from the viewpoint obtained through other
media? If you don’t work with other media, what is it about the gaze of the
camera that attracts you to working with photography?
TNA-SP: Sometimes, depending how I feel. It doesn’t change,
it is still personal and focal to myself.
AMc: What one work of art, depicting a woman as object – or subject,
have you been most influenced/impressed by and what is it about this work that
captures you?
TNA-SP: I am not influenced by other artists, however, if I was
to say I was impressed by a fellow female photographer, it would be Loredana
Denicola.
The Naked Artist – SuziePindar
Image:
The Naked Artist – Suzie Pindar
Naked
2015
Also published here