10 Questions with Milena Deparis
Born in Paris and raised in Asia - namely Hong Kong, Macau, and Thailand – Milena has been photographing since the age of 14. With parents from Argentina and France, Milena has had the opportunity and privilege to explore and capture images in various cultures worldwide. With interest in all creative processes, Milena left her home to attain a Bachelor's Degree (Hons) in Media Studies at the University of Brighton, in the U.K. During her time in Brighton, she compiled her first photography series, Hidden Canvases. This series is the first in a collection that explores the aesthetic beauty of our world's unseen and hidden images. Since its conception, Milena has continued exploring and portraying her underlying themes through group exhibitions, virtual exhibitions, and digital and physical publications in art zines and magazines of both local and international standing.
Milena Deparis Portrait
Hidden Canvases | DESCRIPTION
Milena's artistic relationship with the external world is rooted in her intrigue of rusting objects and deteriorating surfaces – the ugly and ignored. Photography has always been a channel of escapism with the existential necessity to look outwards, which has led to an exploration of the immense beauty in our surrounding world's unobserved imperfections and irregularities. Hidden Canvases is a motto that has come to encompass her photographic approach and style, as well as her perception of beauty and how she chooses to capture it. She experiences photography as an opportunity to capture the art that has already been created but remains unseen or unrecognised. Milena's photographs present different layers of human and natural interaction through Time, resulting in the creation of diverse colours, textures, contrasts, and meanings. However, this art is not created by a single human artist in their chosen medium(s) but by a multitude of external factors onto the surfaces that enclose us. Metaphorically speaking, a hidden canvas is an invisible piece of art waiting to be seen. Milena aims to capture and reveal them in an abstract, two-dimensional style that adheres to a certain asymmetry. She wishes to evoke an appreciation for nameless art and an emotional understanding of our abandoned world and the abandonment of ourselves.
Institutionalized Murder (Hidden Canvases of Athens II), Digital Photography and Selective Colour printed onto Archival Paper, 83x58 cm (Limited Edition of 10) and 119x84 cm (Limited Edition of 5), 2019 © Milena Deparis
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INTERVIEW
You say you were born in Paris to French and Argentinian parents and raised in Asia, between Hong Kong, Macau, and Thailand. Tell us more about your background. How does it influence your work?
I would say that my multicultural upbringing doesn't have an explicit effect on my work, unless subconsciously. No matter the place, I tend to explore what is directly in front of me, especially in an urban setting, where there are undercurrents of visual similarities and patterns you see across the world.
What I can say is that I have been given the privilege to experience and indulge socially and photographically in various environments and cultures. This certainly gives me a very open world view that inherently rejects identity solely based on nationality while celebrating the mixed, complicated, and beautiful human existences and experiences that do not fit into a box.
What about your studies? What was your path to becoming an artist like?
My path started when my father gifted me a small Canon DSLR camera at the age of fourteen. From that point on, I taught myself by reading the manual, learning the camera, and trusting my eyes. I always had the camera on me and consistently experimented by taking photos of everything, from animals, children, leaves, sunsets, chairs, food - anything. I think this allowed me to slowly get a feel of my style and visual interests while getting to know the camera inside out.
At the age of nineteen, with the overall input from others not to pursue a photography degree, I decided to pursue a media degree which included two photography modules. This first academic experience with photography gave me a sense of grounding, organisation related to my collections, and challenged me to write and present my work in a coherent fashion with my own artistic expression attached to it all. Overall, I think that my path as an artist has struck a good balance between being self-taught while later in life, allowing academic approaches to sculpt and push me.
Furthermore, the other university modules I chose were very political and Marxist in nature, delving into feminism, anti-colonialism and media propaganda. These aspects opened up my mind and perspective and continue to underline the work I do, to varying degrees, whether through my image titles or supportive text.
Communist Uprising (Hidden Canvases of Athens II), Digital Photography and Selective Colour printed onto Archival Paper, 95x58 cm(Limited Edition of 10) and 136x84 cm(Limited Edition of 5), 2019 © Milena Deparis
You work primarily with photography. Why did you choose that medium, and what does it represent for you?
Growing up, I felt I had difficulty in confidence and expression, feeling quite repressed and self-conscious. Photography gave me an outlet to embody and present feelings, emotions, and thoughts that I had trouble getting out.
Photography, for me, is like breathing. Something I cannot live without and that allows me to portray my artistic and existential essence that is unique to my point of view. I always say that being given a camera is the best thing that happened to me. It was a gift that allowed me to discover my voice and passion. That is rare, to be cherished, and infinitely valuable.
In your work, you concentrate on what you call "Hidden Canvases", overlooked pieces of art that we can find hiding in plain sight in our everyday life. How did you come up with this idea?
Hidden Canvases was the title I chose for my second photography module's last assessment. For this final project, I wasn't set on themes or ideas. The image comes first. So I went around Brighton and naturally took photographs that captured my attention. By the final product, I was immersed with very abstract and two-dimensional images concentrating on walls. And the title Hidden Canvases came to mind.
The concept of Hidden Canvases became the basis of my continued photographic practice. As my artist statement describes, it is a motto that has come to encompass my photographic approach and style, as well as my perception of beauty and how I choose to capture it. I feel that photography represents an opportunity to capture art that has already been created but remains unseen or unrecognised.
Euphrates (Hidden Canvases of Athens II), Digital Photography and Selective Colour printed onto Archival Paper, 58x81 cm (Limited Edition of 10) and 84x116 cm (Limited Edition of 5), 2019 © Milena Deparis
Police Brutality (Canvases of Athens II), Digital Photography and Selective Colour printed onto Archival Paper, 84x58 cm (Limited Edition of 10) and 120x84 cm (Limited Edition of 5), 2019 © Milena Deparis
What do you see as the strengths of your work? And how do you see it evolving over the next few years?
I think that my photographic strengths lie within visual balance, light, contrast, and capturing interesting surfaces and textures in peculiar and particular ways. I also enjoy working equally with colour and monochrome and find that the results show good energy and strength in two very different realms. As you can see with these images, I also managed to incorporate the use of selective color that meshes these two worlds in a way that is, hopefully, not clichéd but captivating.
My introduction to photography was very visceral with no academic background, giving a lot of attention and power to the image in itself. I naturally feel more comfortable and drawn to the eminence of the stand-alone image and its effects on the viewer before any literary text accompanies it. However, the art world doesn't readily accept this position with photography. Think of André Kertész.
In continuation, my introduction to photography at university was limited compared to those studying photography or art history. Therefore, I feel I need to further explore conceptual photography, photography related to memory, and supportive text to heighten my photographic practice. Thus, next month I am taking an online CityLit course that focuses on writing and photography. Hopefully, this course will strengthen my writing in relation to photography and give me the tools and ideas to elevate my practice to further evolve within conceptual frameworks.
Due to the nature of your work, we can find in your images many references to pop culture, politics, and so on. How did you use these references? And why did you incorporate them in your work?
Until this point, other than a digital collage collection titled Apocalypse, which has explicit supportive text, I have mainly used the means of titles to represent links to pop culture and politics subtly. I believe that titles are the cherry on top of the cake (artwork); a tiny fractal insight into the artist's mind that helps engage and provoke the viewer to think about the deeper meaning and issues behind the art piece in relation to society, culture, and politics.
While my work is majorly abstract, there are a lot of themes and values that I wish to portray. A lot of the references I use come from my degree in media studies, which investigated the histories and narratives that have led to the present day, particularly in relation to the actions of Western nations and global consequences.
I do believe that the best art is intrinsically political in some form, whether explicitly or implicitly. I have always felt inspired by and connected to Nina Simone's words below, which continue to be relevant today:
"An artist's duty, as far as I am concerned, is to reflect the times. I think that is true of painters, sculptors, poets, musicians – it's their choice. But I choose to reflect the times and situations in which I find myself. That, to me, is my duty. And at this crucial time in our lives when everything is so desperate, when everything is a matter of survival, I don't think you can help but be involved. I don't think you have a choice. How can you be an artist and not reflect the times? That to me is the definition of an artist."
In a world full of images like the one we live in, how important do you think it is to stop and reflect on patterns and overlooked beauty as you do with your series?
I think, particularly in our lifetime with the excessive usage of digital platforms, fast-paced work lives, and the desire for things to be quick and convenient, it is very important to stop and reflect on the minutiae in our atmosphere. It gives one the opportunity to pause, admire, adore, enquire and think beyond what others may want you to see.
Fragmented World (Hidden Canvases of Athens II), Digital Photography and Selective Colour printed onto Archival Paper, 58x96 cm (Limited Edition of 10) and 84x138 cm (Limited Edition of 5), 2019 © Milena Deparis
Lost Kingdom (Hidden Canvases of Athens II), Digital Photography and Selective Colour printed onto Archival Paper, 58x94 cm (Limited Edition of 10) and 84x135 cm (Limited Edition of 5), 2019 © Milena Deparis
What do you think of digital exhibitions and presentations? Are you experimenting with these, or are you into more traditional ways of presenting your work, like physical exhibitions in galleries and museums?
Due to lockdown, I was involved in at least two virtual online exhibitions, which I enjoyed very much. However, it is very difficult to replace the feelings of physical interactivity amongst people and artworks. Ultimately, there is nothing that can replace the setting up and presentation of art in physical reality.
Nevertheless, the (art) world is moving quickly into the spheres of the metaverse, virtual reality, augmented reality, and, of course, NFTs. This is happening whether one feels comfortable in these spaces or not. I myself am cautious as well as intrigued, curious and ready to participate. I do think the future is here, but that physical processes, exhibitions, and analogue photography are not going anywhere either. I hope that the future attains a sense of balance, communication, and collaboration between digital and physical art forms and spaces.
What do you hope to accomplish this year, both in career goals and personal life?
My career goals simply are to continue my work, expanding, looking for opportunities, and challenging my practice away from my comfort zone. This ties into my personal life, which aims to maintain some form of balance, excitement and passion while appreciating and challenging each part of my artistic and individual journey.
Finally, what are you working on right now? Anything exciting you would like to tell our readers?
For the past year I have been photographing and celebrating Graffiti under a pseudonym. This work is also very abstract but stunningly vibrant, a perspective of Graffiti that has yet to be seen. My work aims to capture the unique compositions of graff tags – a form of art that I believe is one of the most unfiltered and honest expressions of artistic imagination. It is also a form of art that is inherently political in relation to access to public space, legality, and copyright.
