Vivien Ayroles
Artist Feature
Every week an artist is featured whose single image was published by Der Greif. The Feature shows the image in the original context of the series.
Alessandro Bo - Smail
Apr 05, 2017
“We came to explore a foreign land that seemed an unknown paradise, the wild west with gothic cathedrals and Spanish palettes in Indian mountains. We had a pact that no one would write about it. Till 1980 when a parvenu wrote a travel piece for the LA Times, expats could live on twenty-five hundred dollars a year.”
Alice Denham (2013) “Secrets of San Miguel”
The City I currently inhabit has been recently voted as “The Best City in the World”. Today this Mexican territory is known for it’s classy spas, cafes, galleries and colorful houses that make it a safe place to live. San Miguel de Allende has experienced many aesthetic changes after becoming a ghost town during the Mexican Revolution. In the 50`s many “expats” mainly form Canada, United States and some parts of Europe, arrived seeking a safer and peaceful place to live. Hippies, rich kids and dopers found their place and slowly created the perfect stereotype of a Mexican town. As a Mexican that recently relocated from Mexico City it instantly felt like a small “bubble” alien to the rest of the Country`s current situation of corruption and violence.
Artist Blog
The blog of Der Greif is written entirely by the artists who have been invited to doing an Artist-Feature. Every week, we have a different author.
Published in:
Postcard diary
Apr 12, 2017 - Alessandro Bo
This is a series of old postcards and pictures from anonymous photographers that I have been collecting and scanning from flee markets, mainly in Mexico City since last year. There is no real subject or story I am trying to tell, it is simply an editing exercise and visual diary to keep inspired and active on my work.
Ein mal – Wim Wenders
Apr 11, 2017 - Alessandro Bo
A year ago, I encountered with a bible, leaning on a friends bookshelf. The elegant cover and the simple title instantly caught my eye. The only reference I had about Wim Wenders was two of his classic films “Paris Texas” and “American friend”. Known not only for his “road movies”, he actually started his career as a painter, photographer and this developed into film. The book shows a selection of beautiful color images that he shot during his scouting and many road trips. The simple, yet poetic stories that he documented along the way, have been a continuous inspiration to my work.
The art of diptychs
Apr 09, 2017 - Alessandro Bo
There is always one name that pops into my mind when I hear the word diptych. That name is Alex Dorfsman. Few years ago, I assisted a conference where this amazing human being was talking about his work. Although it was not the first time that I saw photographs dialogue with each other, it was the first time that something spoke to me, opening a whole new universe of possibilities within this confined medium. In a way, it can be said that I immediately identified with the simple, yet complex language he was trying to express. Years later, I got the chance to know him better and we became friends. It is during the last couple of years that I realized how true his images are related to his wonder and curiosity about life.
Mexican Powell
Apr 07, 2017 - Alessandro Bo
One of the first people that inspired me the most to never leave home without a camera is Mark Powell. This guy has one of the most up to date website I can imagine of… Seriously, he is constantly showing new and amazing work from every corner of Mexico City, and other places. He even has an alphabet to browse and search all of his images. I had the great privilege to join him in the streets for couple of days, walking in and out of ordinary places, meeting and getting into very odd situations (as you can very well imagine by the pictures he captures). I can only guess he has a magic aura that creates or attracts very random people in strange situations.
