FOAM Talent Call x Kuvva: Mirko Martin
To celebrate the Foam Talent Call 2012 we will be interviewing several talented photographers who participated with the Talent Call of 2011 and were chosen among thousands of other of photographers. Their work was showcased throughout the world and have gained international recognition. In addition, we’re featuring a wallpaper set of last year’s Talent Call winners provided by Foam, you can check them on our website!
We did a quick Q&A with Mirko Martin and asked him several questions. You can check out a wallpaper we have of his on the Kuvva website!
Who is Mirko Martin?
My name is Mirko Martin and I’m a 35-year old artist based out in Berlin, Germany.
What inspired you to pick up that camera and do photography?
We had a darkroom at home where I grew up. I became interested in the chemical process there. For exploring that, I had to take pictures first. Then I noticed that framing is fun.
How did you end up deciding to enter the Foam Talent Call?
I didn’t apply. I was nominated for the Paul Huf Award, that’s where somebody singled out my portfolio I suppose.
What (technical) gear do you use?
I use a Mac for editing purposes.
What do you think about Kuvva as means to showcase your work?
I don’t know, Kuvva was new for me.
Do you do other things besides photography?
Yes, I also work with video and/or sound, sometimes in a documentary way, sometimes more experimental. I don’t do commissioned work, though, just my own art stuff.
What is your inspiration walhalla?
There’s no ‘walhalla’ for me since there’s no religious or spiritual level involved in my creative process. Some artists/filmmakers/etc. whose work I draw inspiration from are Francis Alys, Anri Sala, Olaf Breuning, David Lynch, Shore/Eggleston/Sternfeld, Weegee, Boris Mikhailov, Pasolini, David Claerbout, Paul Graham, Jeff Wall, Tobias Zielony, David Hockney, Waka Flocka Flame, Gucci Mane, Pierre Bourdieu, Mike Davis, H.D. Thoreau, among others.
Got any essential tips for beginning photographers out there?
I think having a small pocket camera is helpful, which you can pull out easily to practice framing. There’s no ‘talent’ or anything special required in order to take a picture that looks good, I think it’s basically just training and awareness. As you go along—that is, if there’s any intention to go beyond creating nice pictures—you should probably become clearer about your intentions so you can reflect better on what you’re doing. Try to get as much good feedback from other people as you can. Study other images that you like and find out why you like them, not necessarily only photographs. And I’d also say, especially to men: don’t be a photo fetishist, don’t focus too much on the technical aspects. It’s about mindset and intention as much as it’s about composition and the glossy surface.
Do you got any running or upcoming projects that you want to tell us about?
MI’m working on a new video, but it’s too early to let the world know about it.
Foam Talent Call x Kuvva featuring Mirko Martin
We are currently featuring a piece of Mirko’ss work in a wallpaper set provided to us by Foam. You can check out his wallpaper here!
