Eléonore Simon

1. Where are you from and where are you living right now?

I grew up in France where my family relocated to a different region every few years. I then moved to the United States to finish my Art History studies and after several years of living in New York, I was ready to pack up my bags again and went to Valparaíso, Chile, where I am currently living (when not on the road with my camera).

2. Does the place you live in affect your art and practice?

I moved to Chile almost on a whim, for what was meant as a short visit. A short visit of almost two years now. Valparaíso was immediately inspiring, and the city kept drawing me back in when I thought I was ready to leave. The experience of starting anew, the disorientation, constant stimulation, excitement and isolation are at the heart of my Valparaíso work.

3. How does being a female photographer influence your work? Do you encounter any challenges in your practice related to that?

That is a challenging question for me, and one I have been really engaging with these past couple of years. I have a difficult time asserting if or how being a woman informs my practice, if it transpires in my photography in any way. As someone who works mainly within the tradition of street photography, I do think about how men and women experience and navigate public spaces differently. As a photographer, I can render myself invisible, and photograph a situation unobtrusively. As a woman, I am painfully reminded of how much more visible I am at times and how it can constrict my movements. Claiming the streets as a place of creation and wandering is as complicated and contrasted as it is rewarding.

4. Do you want to share something about your body of work? What are you working on right now?

I continue shooting in the streets of Valparaíso, creating pictures that are at times light and whimsical but also convey darker undertones. I moved to Chile without speaking a word of Spanish so behind this body of work there is also a reflection on language, on the photographic language, and on my need to create a sense of order and control within confusion.

Aside from this series, I am also venturing in projects that are more documentary in nature, as well as more intimate, with pictures of my own family as a reflection on care and aging.

5. How do you get inspiration? Who do you admire?

I draw inspiration from anything and everything: a beautiful light, unusual angle or interesting shape can transform the most banal situation into a compelling moment and I don’t need very much to get inspired, if not the right headspace.

My background is in art history, with a focus on painting, and I would describe my visual training as rather classical. I continue to look to the masters of painting and photography but am also constantly looking at contemporary work to trigger my imagination. As much as I hear that smartphones and Instagram have ruined photography, I do get a lot of inspiration from there, from work by contemporary street photographers, photojournalists and fine artists from all over the world, especially from women artists who can have more visibility there than in traditional media.

6. Do you shoot mostly color or black and white? Why?

I have always worked almost exclusively in black and white, from my first pinhole and film cameras to my digital work. I am drawn to abstraction, strong shadows and patterns, and black and white really enhances these visual elements. It also helps create a more ambiguous, timeless image. I am interested in making photographs that are a pause for the viewer, an invitation to consider and question the image.

Follow her work here: http://www.eleonoresimon.com/

All images and texts are protected by Copyright and belong to the Artist.