Interview: Aram Tahmasebi
Luca Curci talks with Aram Tahmasebi during CONTEMPORARY VENICE 2021, at THE ROOM Contemporary Art Space.

I was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1991. My father is a musician and researcher in Iranian classical music, and my mother is a set and fashion designer. Growing up in an artistic family made my way into art. I started with music, which has always been my passion, but in my high school years, I became so obsessed with cinema and image. I decided to change my field. I got my BA in cinema (cinematography major), and my MFA in photography from Art University of Tehran and have been working in these fields since then. People and relations, stories and narrations, reality and fantasy, and the passing time have always been my great interest in my personal projects. Currently, I am working as a freelance photographer and cinematographer, and I have co-founded an independent analog photography studio (DarStudio), which is focused on film development and producing hand-rolled films in Tehran.

Luca Curci – According to you, what makes a good photo? Which details do you focus on?
Aram Tahmasebi – There are various factors and opinions for a good photo, but from my point of view, authenticity and uniqueness in content and lighting and composition in the form of a photo are the factors that make a good photo.

LC – When you take photos, are you usually inspired by the situation or do you find inspiration in yourself?
AT – Both, I think it depends on the project; I captured many snapshot photos from my friends and family’s daily life that the moment and the situation play a significant role in the frames I chose to grasp. Still, I got inspired by the ideas that I had and expanded them visually or contextually for my fashion or staged photos.

LC – How do you choose your subjects? Is it a reasoned or an instinctive process?
AT – Again both. It depends on the project, but I think that instinct is an inseparable part of them in different ways, in snapshot and documentary photos, in the incident, moment or the situation I chose to portray and in staged, fashion or narrative photos in how I would like to express myself visually.

LC – What is the most challenging part about creating your artworks?
AT – To me, the most challenging part of creating an artwork is that to gain a personal signature that the audience can recognize your work without reading your name below them, like when you see David Hockney’s art. In today’s world, you can somehow say that most of the ideas were taken and used before, maybe even better than you, but the personal touch is what can make your art unique and rare.

LC – How is being an artist nowadays?
AT – Artist is a big word, I am trying to be one, and as I said above, it’s tough to have a personal vision and stay faithful to it nowadays.

LC – Do you agree with our vision of art and what do you think about the theme of the festival?
AT – I didn’t have a chance to visit the selected artworks closely, but I think yes.

LC – Can you explain something about the artworks you have in our exhibition?
AT – I presented three of many photos from my “Grain” collection and three of sixteen photos from my “Shot” collection which all of them captured on motion picture negative film and I developed them myself. Both of the series have specific statements that you can read to understand them better, this is the first time that I have shown frames of my “Shot” collection somewhere.

LC – What do you think about the organization of our event?
AT – Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend the festival, and it got delayed due to the pandemic, but I think it must be great.

LC – Would you suggest a collaboration with us? Do you think ITSLIQUID GROUP can represent an opportunity for artists?
AT – Of course, I think ITSLIQUID GROUP can represent a good opportunity for artists and a pleasant collaboration.