Stine Loe — juliewang

As we prepare to embark on this exploration, let's ponder: What does our affinity for photography truly signify? How does this art form enable us to express our innermost thoughts, and how does it facilitate our interaction with the world around us? At the heart of it all lies the captivating interplay between art and psychology, as we mirror the very essence of Carl Jung's theories through our visual narratives.

Join me in uncovering the profound connection between vulnerability, spirituality, and the captured moment. Discover how the canvas of art photography shapes our perceptions, ushering in novel perspectives and enriching our daily experiences. With each photograph, we find an embodiment of the artist's identity, creativity, and philosophy, encapsulated within a single frame.

It's easy to overlook the complexity that often accompanies the creation of an image. While some perceive it as a simple click, there's an intricate process that unfolds behind the scenes, channeling emotions, techniques, and intent into every shot. In a world saturated with fleeting glances, this interview also delves into the depth required to truly see and comprehend an image shared on social media, inviting us to pause and embrace the stories they tell.

Stay tuned as we navigate through the realms of emotion, healing, and artistic rebirth, guided by the lens of this remarkable photographer. Together, we'll unravel the threads that weave our passions, perceptions, and profound human experiences into the very fabric of each photograph.

1. Could you share with me a glimpse of the fascinating world that resides within your deep mind and your powerful gift of visual creation?

First of all, thank you for your interest in my art and the invitation to do this interview. I feel honored. To be able to get a glimpse into my visual world, I think it is necessary to go back to where it all began, when I was a little girl playing in my grandparents' house. My grandfather was a photographer and painter, and my grandmother was a trained opera singer and organist in the local church. They had inherited the house of my grandmother's uncle who was one of the early photographers who established his photography business at the beginning of the 20th century. My grandparents' house was filled with art, photographs, and music. I used to spend hour after hour with my great great uncle's old work, fascinated by the serious expressions and the beautiful clothes of the people portrayed. I sang, played dress up accompanied by music and art on the walls. All these impressions from early childhood have made a strong impact on my artistic DNA, and have been very formative for how I create my art. I think the basis for the melancholia and the timelessness I seek to create through my work, springs out from these early childhood days.

2. I know you through your Instagram’s self-portraits which carry a profound sense of vulnerability and spirituality, especially those shots with very expressive eyes. Could you share the sources of inspiration that drive you to explore these themes in your photography?

There has always been a split in my personality. I am highly sensitive and need my personal space, but I can also be extroverted with a great need to communicate and connect with other people. When I was 36, I got severely ill, and for the last two decades I have been struggling with fluctuations between high energy, euphoria, anxiety, exhaustion, and depression.

The illness led to a big turnover in my life and was the start of my new life as an art photographer. Previously I had a career in business which became impossible to uphold after I got sick. The existential crisis I was going through sent me down a path where I was on an intense search for a cure. Photography became a tool for me to try to understand myself. I became very much occupied with trying to understand the human psyche, and I was also on a spiritual quest in search of my true self. Because of the illness, I was alone a lot, and therefore I used myself as a subject both to learn the art of photography and to become an observer of my own psyche. The sense of vulnerability and spirituality in my work is very much linked to my personal experience and my ongoing journey to try to heal and accept a new life situation.

3.Your black and white works, layered with flowers, evoke a mysterious and captivating ambiance reminiscent of Gustav Klimt's paintings. Does his work influence your creativity? If so, how did Klimt's art influence your creative journey, and how do you blend these elements to create your own unique style? Who else did provide your profound impact on your art journey?

The art I was exposed to as a child was mainly naturalistic, impressionistic and to some extent expressionistic art. My grandfather painted beautiful landscapes in oil and watercolor, my great great uncle's photographs were timeless portraits of people and nature, mainly in black and white and sepia tones. My father was also an art lover and collected art from both Norwegian and international painters. Our home was filled with flowers and beauty, as my mother loved flowers and beautiful fabrics and objects. So, when I as an adult experienced art from the 19th and early 20th centuries, this kind of work resonated deeply with the impressions from my childhood. I have not been influenced by the work of Gustav Klimt exclusively, but I love his art deeply and some of my work has been greatly inspired by him. I love work with great depth and emotions, and among the great masters Munch, van Gogh, Gustav Klimt, Frida Kahlo, and Picasso are some of my favorites. In the world of photography, I am especially fond of the work of Julia Margaret Cameron, Joyce Tenneson and Deborah Turbeville who all have been of great inspiration to me. But I still think that the work of my great great uncle, my grandfather and the art in my childhood home has been of the greatest importance and have made a profound impact on my artistic journey.

I see the layers in my work as layers in my own psyche. For years I have been trying to understand the depth of human existence. My images are mainly manifestations of my own inner world. This inner world is filled with dreamlike images and layers upon layers of heredity, environment, traumas, and other life happenings. My images are both a conscious and unconscious process trying to express what it feels like to be a human being in a deeply personal manner. This process has been greatly inspired by the work and thoughts of Carl Gustav Jung.

4. Self-portraiture can be an intimate and challenging form of self-expression. How do you approach your self-portraits to provide viewers with a glimpse of your inner mind landscape and convey your thoughts about the human experience?

The creation of my self-portraits is largely an intuitive process. I rarely plan how an image will turn out. I let my feelings in the moment decide. The layers I use to create often follow the seasons, and I often use elements captured on my many walks in nature. I also use elements from art and surroundings that I am particularly drawn to in the moment of creation. It can be a work of art, a piece of music or literature that I am particularly interested in, which helps to form a specific feeling and mood in the work. It's not that I'm initially that fond of taking self-portraits. In fact, I prefer to be behind the camera and not in front of it. But since I have been ill a lot, and for long periods of time have no energy to work with other people, my self-portraits are a form of self-therapy, where I get to process complicated feelings and transform complicated inner images into external expressions. This process feels healing to me, and the deeper I get into my own mental, emotional, and spiritual processes, the more universal my work seems to become. The portraits are no longer just about me, but about the complexities of being human in general.

5. Your images seem to delve into the concept of the soul and the essence of being. Could you elaborate on how you use photography as a medium to explore these spiritual aspects and communicate your perceptions through visual storytelling?

Getting seriously ill was an existential crisis for me. All my truths about who I was had to be re-evaluated. My life's foundation collapsed, and I had to rebuild my life in a new way. In a state where everything feels dark and hopeless, I think it is a human instinct to pray to a higher power and try to find strength outside of oneself to get out of an excruciatingly painful situation. For me, this became a process of finding my original self and connecting with the soul, if you will. I also really felt the extremes of life, moments where I felt so alive, at one with the universe and totally filled up with courage and love, to an extreme opposite where life completely collapsed, and I was face to face with destruction and death. Living through these extremes is demanding, and photography has become a tool for me to become an observer of my own inner self. The process of being both the subject and the creator forms a space where I connect with myself on a deep level. What I communicate through my images is not something I consciously plan; it is more the result of the work I do within myself.

6. The layering of flowers in your works adds a poetic touch to your self-portraits. Can you tell us more about the symbolism and significance behind these floral elements, and how they contribute to the narrative of your images?

Basically, I use flowers to symbolize seasons, moods, and feelings in my work. I have a deep love for flowers, which I probably inherited from my mother, who loves flowers and filled her home with them, both inside the house and in the garden. But flowers also have a deeper spiritual meaning beyond being beautiful to look at. As in the Bible, where flowers symbolize various virtues such as love, faith, and hope. I do not plan the use of flowers as symbols in such detail in my works. For me, it is more important that the layers of flowers underpin my feelings and the mood I want to create in the specific work.

7. The act of self-portrayal can be introspective and transformative. How has the process of capturing yourself in various emotional states helped you discover more about your own identity and inner world?

Creating self-portraits has never been a separate thing for me. I would say that my self-portraits are more the result of all the work I have done via physical treatment and training, through my spiritual practice, through self-education, therapy, and creative development. I have a persistent need to confront my inner darkness, and my self-portraits form the perfect outlet for my shadow work. What I also find fascinating about photography and self-portraits is that it provides a unique opportunity to tap into unconscious processes. Images that I create rather mindlessly and, in the moment, tend to tap deeper into my psyche than I initially intended. It can sometimes feel uncomfortable and revealing, but also deeply meaningful as I seek to live as honestly as I can without hiding my weaknesses. I believe that when we dare to show our vulnerability, we can connect with other people on a deeper level. I think my self-portraits help to clarify more and more who I am inside. It is an ongoing never-ending process.

8. Self-expression through art can be a continuous journey of self-discovery. How has photography enabled you to explore and redefine the meaning of yourself, and how do you see this evolution reflected in your body of work?

Sometimes I think that photography has saved my life. This may sound a little dramatic, but in a state where I felt that I had completely lost myself, it became a new point of reference for me, and a tool to build a new identity. At first, photography was pure self-therapy, but eventually it has also become something that gives a greater meaning to my life, which can be shared and mean something to others too. In my own development, my artistic expression has become less direct, but at the same time deeper and more revealing. It is fascinating how a work of art can both provide insight and be a mirror. The human experience is universal, and it is moving to experience that art can make a difference in another person's life. Art is such a powerful tool for understanding both ourselves and others better. We can recognize ourselves in other people's art and in that way feel understood and less alone. This realization is transformative, as being human can feel very lonely at times.

9. Your photographs seem to carry a certain timelessness, capturing emotions and themes that transcend the present moment. How do you achieve this timeless quality, and what role does it play in conveying your messages to the audience?

I think the timelessness sensed in my images partly stems from the fascination I had with the photographs made by my great great uncle and my grandfather. Both consciously and unconsciously, I am drawn to the atmosphere and colors of these old photographs. I also love the timelessness of the work of some of my idols in photography such as the work of Julia Margaret Cameron. Human emotions and human drama are not tied to any particular time. That is what I love about Edvard Munch’s paintings and the plays written by Henrik Ibsen. Although the pictures were painted and the stories written over 100 years ago, they are just as relevant today. I want my art to have something of this timelessness about it. Sometimes I use elements from the history of art to substantiate that the images are not necessarily connected to our time. Most of my work does not deal with the external reality. I want to convey inner states that exist outside of time and place.

10. Your photography delves into the depths of human emotions and psyche. What do you hope viewers take away from your self-portraits, and how do you envision your images contributing to a broader conversation about the complexities of being human?

My greatest hope is that my art evokes an emotional response in the viewer. Either a recognizable feeling or some form of unconscious reaction. It is not important to me that my art is understood. The pictures are made as an expression of my inner emotional life and my inner psyche, and I hope that they can touch and reflect something in the viewer's inner self. I think that every person's contribution to the world helps to increase our understanding of what it means to be human. I think it is sad that far too many people are not open to trying to understand others who are different from themselves, be it ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, as well as differences in thoughts and feelings. I think that art is a universal language that can transcend personal differences if we let it, and I hope that my art can be a little drop in the ocean to expand our inner horizons.

Thanks Stine Loe and please find more her works @humancanvas232
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