Winner of the European Publishers Award for Photography 2013
July 7– September 21, 2014
SCHAURAUM 11/nullnull, Vienna
March 14 – April 19, 2014
»Encountering a human being means being kept awake by an enigma«.
In her photo series, Alisa Resnik combines images mainly taken at night in Berlin. Leaden-colored scenes, greasy spoon cafés, echoed empty halls, old hotel rooms still holding on to a subtle feeling of the past, and people’s faces… Hurried glances, small awkward gestures, hands searching for support, grief or harshness in the corner of an eye.
»An identity is temporarily fixed, defined by the encounter between the photographer and the subject. Once the encounter is over, the moment survives only in the image. This is why Alisa Resnik’s photography inspires such an unsettling combination of awe and ache. The portraits evoke a startling and complex human beauty. Yet, there is also a vague sadness that these moments have long since dissolved and can never be recaptured. One of the essential elements of these moments is the fact that Resnik doesn’t consider herself a photographer. For her, the camera is just a tool. The encounter is primary and the human connection is the goal. Any images are incidental, something to be assessed later and valued only if they respect the truth of the encounter«. (from the text by Jeremy Mercer)
Alisa Resnik (b. 1976 in St. Petersburg, Russia) moved to Berlin, Germany, in 1990. After studying Art History in Berlin and Bologna she began photographing in 2008. Her work has been exhibited in Rome, Milan, Madrid and at the Rencontres d’Arles, selected among the PhotoEspaña 2009 Descubrimientos and among the new talents at the Musée Suisse de l’appareil Photographique in Vevey. She received awards by Winephoto Contest in 2008 and 2009.
Authors: Jeremy Mercer, Will Carruthers
Artists: Alisa Resnik
Designed by Kehrer Design
20 x 26,5 cm
67 color ills.