Interview: Antonio Chagin
Luca Curci talks with Antonio Chagin, winner of PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE MONTH – OCTOBER 2021.

“Aqua, an inspiration for constant changes. The Earth is a watery place. About 71 percent of the Earth’s surface is water-covered, and the oceans hold about 96.5 percent of all Earth’s water. Water also exists in the air as water vapor, in rivers and lakes, in icecaps and glaciers, in the ground as soil moisture. Water is never sitting still. Thanks to the water cycle, our planet’s water supply is constantly moving from one place to another and from one form to another. Things would get pretty stale without the water cycle! I’ve been a photographer for many years, my landscape imagery always included water, I need to live near the water! But it wasn’t until I moved to Florida that I really started doing serious aerial photography. Using a drone bought me closer to the kind of clients that needed that service and I was the guy; many fly the drone but few are real photographers. It was actually at the Florida Keys when my Aqua project started. I was on a job and the day was astonishingly beautiful. I stopped at Marathon Keys and flew the drone by the 7 Miles Bridge when I got the muse. It changed my landscape perspective to this new birds-eye view. Since then I’ve been on a constant lookout for ocean and water views. What I see on the water’s surface; the light, time, season, sky reflected, all these variables make for endless changes which in a sense is like our own lives. Technique: using a large format sensor camera to capture the best detail possible and thinking on large-scale prints. My post-processing involves long hours at the computer using my own creative profiles”.

LUCA CURCI – What is art for you?
ANTONIO CHAGIN – Could be different things, social content or subject matter, a vision to the future, expressions of emotions, outing of the inner self, family visions.

LC – What’s your background? What is the experience that has influenced your work the most?
AC – I’ve been a photographer for more than 20 years, doing commercial architecture as well as artistic landscapes. When I was living on the Venezuelan coast, seeing the influence of humans over the landscape and water was what motivated me to reorder my photography into social landscapes most of the time alongside the coasts. Later on as an aerial photographer and seeing the imminent damage our planet is going through, I started doing Aqua, which is an expression of water’s constant changes.

LC – Which is the role the artist plays in society? And contemporary art?
AC – Art is a reflection of humanity and the places we live, our role should be to have intense social and human content, aiming for changes or just acknowledging our lives and visions.

LC – Where do you find your inspiration?
AC – By traveling and knowing new places and people.

LC – What is the most challenging part about creating your artworks?
AC – I’m doing aerials so, besides the aesthetics of it, the various technical variables of aerial photography are the most challenging ones.

LC – Do you think ITSLIQUID GROUP can represent an opportunity for artists?
AC – But of course, any organization willing to promote artists are the most valuable assets we have.

LC – Did you enjoy cooperating with us?
AC – Yes, Itsliquid seems to be a well-organized international gallery exposing new artists.