The interviews are conducted by VB Contemporary's director, Vian Borchert. Besides being a multidisciplinary noted international artist. Borchert has been a writer and art critic for over a decade contributing with art articles in a national online newspaper within the U.S.A. Borchert gets called upon to cover and write reviews for major retrospectives and exhibitions in world-class American museums. Borchert is also the Art Lead / curator of the art segment for "Oxford Public Philosophy Journal" for the Turn 5 issue - "Oxford Public Philosophy" is a philosophy journal based at Oxford University, UK. The journal is a space for critically questioning what philosophy is and how we're doing it, in form and content.
Interview with Jaume Llorens
Jaume Llorens
About the artist:
Jaume Llorens is a Spanish accomplished photographer who has been passionate about photography since his teens. Highlights from his photographic career include exhibitions at LensCulture group exhibition at Photo London 2023, Fundació Valvi in Girona 2022 and Valid Foto Gallery in Barcelona, 2019. Llorens has won numerous awards such as: Top Pick at LensCulture Critics' Choice 2023, Top 50 at Photolucida Critical Mass 2023, 3rd place (singles) at LensCulture Black & White Awards 2022, Barcelona International Photography Awards 2019, and 3rd prize in VI National Photography Competition Canson Infinity (Spain).
Tell us about your "Beginnings", how did you start your artist journey? How did your childhood influence your creative career path? And, how is your beginnings / childhood "Reflective" within your work?
Around the age of 16, in high school, we were introduced to a photography course, and I fell in love with it. So much so that once it was over, I asked my parents if I could enroll in a distance learning program to deepen my knowledge. There was no other means to enroll in a photography class where I lived at that time (early 1980s). Thus, my parents agreed. After completing the course, I was able to establish a small darkroom at home where I worked on black and white photography. Some friends and I would gather to develop our photos and enjoy the magic of the creative process.
I grew up in a working-class neighborhood on the outskirts of Banyoles, a small town with only a few thousand residents at that time. It was a neighborhood of families mostly from rural backgrounds who had been forced to migrate to the city to work in factories. My entire family is of rural origin. Both my parents and grandparents never stopped working the land and raising livestock. I as well participated in many of these tasks. The connection with nature was always there.
I suppose this early interaction with nature was this initial bond the permeates my current work. Over the years, the countryside has been depopulated. However, the more in-land we go, the further our contact is with nature and our origins. I believe the need to regain that contact is a continuous theme in my work.
Diptic #4
Walk us through your day from morning till evening along with your creative process? What does a day for "Jaume Llorens" look like? Where do you find inspiration in the area by which you reside? And, how is your surroundings "Reflective" in your work?
I would love for the creative process to be the sole activity of my daily life, but it's not quite that way. I work from 8 to 3 as a web designer and dedicate my afternoons and whatever hours I can spare on weekends to photography, which is what truly brings me joy. I would love to be able to live exclusively from photography; yet, for the moment, it's not possible.
I am fortunate to live just a few meters from the Banyoles lake, a natural space that is an endless source of raw material and inspiration for my work. I walk or bike there to take photos. Apart from being a place that I know very well and where I especially feel at home, it is very close-by. Saul Leiter stated, "I take photographs in my neighborhood. I think that mysterious things happen in familiar places. We don't always need to run to the other end of the world." I wholeheartedly concur with this idea.
Generally, I don't go out looking for specific photos. I approach my surroundings in a contemplative way, looking for silence, and letting myself be immersed in everything that impacts me emotionally or aesthetically. I try to find corners where I can be completely alone. It's difficult for me to connect with this environment if it is crowded with people.
I shoot in a fairly intuitive way, without overthinking. I usually let the photos sit for a few days and at a later date start selecting and editing them. This, I feel is a more coherent and intentional process. Some images emerge from the editing process that are good to publish and will be used in a future series.
The series are grouped around a common theme. There will always be images that diverge from the series. Nevertheless, they eventually become the beginnings to what could become a brand new series.
As an artist, what have been some of the biggest challenges you've faced in your career? And, what have been your best achievements for you personally and professionally? Who are your favorite artists and why do you find their art captivating?
I believe my main challenge is happening right now. After being awarded in internationally renowned competitions, such as those by LensCulture, my work has been exhibited on a scale that I could have never imagined. Consequently, I have had the opportunity to start working with a couple of galleries, one in Barcelona and the other in the United Kingdom. It's all very new, and I think it's not quite solid enough. Yet, I deeply wish to continue in this path. And if possible, add new galleries to reach more people with my work. Needless to say, to be able to make a living from this would be an truly a dream.
If I were to mention some reference in regards to photographers, I think I would say Josef Sudek, Saul Leiter, Toni Catany, Yamamoto Masao, Albarran y Cabrera, Paul Cupido, Miho Kajioka. What I admire about many of them is their ability to turn photography into a tool of poetic expression. It's something I often seek as well, but I'm not always confident in achieving it.
In addition to these renowned photographers, there are countless lesser-known photographers whom I follow on social media and whose work captivates me. The list would be very long. I'm enthralled every day by the work of creators from all over the world that we can access firsthand.