Image courtesy of Marko Stamatovic

Interview: Marko Stamatovic

Marko Stamatovic was born on 13th February, 1977 in Kragujevac, Serbia. He graduated at the Faculty of Philology and Art, Department for Graphic Design in 2008. His works have been published in many publications and magazines like Politika, REFOTO, Novi Magazin, Svetlost, CityWalker, National Geographic Serbia and Smithsonian Magazine. He worked in the magazine CityWalker as an art director for a short time until the foundation of his own studio. Currently he works as a professor of Art in Kragujevac, while he delivers his knowledge about graphic shaping to press media as an art director of photo&design studio FACE. He is the president and founder of the photo club APOLO from Kragujevac and the creator of the first festival of artistic photography in Serbia FOTORAMA.

Image courtesy of Marko Stamatovic

Luca Curci – When you start practicing art and why?

Marko Stamatovic – I have been interested in photography since I was eight. I remember my father’s brand new Russian Zenit camera which was jealously guarded by him. At last he gave it to me as a present since I was so persistent. I have always loved photography, especially the moment when the developer slowly makes emerge the frame you have still noted. My artistic work started when I decided to start the Academy of Applied Arts, Department of Graphic Design. The first story was published in 2007 and in that year I also opened my first photo exhibition, and so far I had 20 solo expositions and over 140 group exhibitions.

Image courtesy of Marko Stamatovic

L. C. – Can you talk about your artistic work? Which are your inspirations?

M. S. – In my heart, I’m a documentary photographer. I’m very interested in researching human relationships, trying to explore the human psyche as much as I can and to express that in my works in the way I experienced it. I created my portraits using old photographic technologies and I think they are able to reveal the other side of men’s behaviour, a part that themselves don’t understand. I like looking for new ways to access my work so I started making my own models of large format cameras,  that are a fusion of all my life experience.

Image courtesy of Marko Stamatovic

L.C. – What are you currently working on?

M. S. – I’m currently working on the preparation of several projects. The last one is an international art photography festival, Fotorama. It takes place during the last week of May and the guests of this year are: Erika Larsen, a photographer of National Geographic Magazine, Lucio Giacani, a famous photographer of Vogue Italia magazine and Natalie Taffarel, one of the world’s most famous retoucher. Furthermore I’m working in a research for a reportage in National Geographic Serbia magazine and I’m preparing my first photography book co-authored with a colleague of mine.

Image courtesy of Marko Stamatovic

L. C. – What was the best advice given to you as an artist?

M. S. – My senior colleague said: ‘You will never be the best so you don’t ever rush to be the best one,… but be different: this can only be achieved by hard work. An artist is nothing else but a miner digging for knowledge all his life.’ I think he was absolutely right!

Image courtesy of Marko Stamatovic

L. C. – What is art for you?

M. S. – For me Art is the space where I can be completely myself, and from which I’m influenced by. It is a part of myself, it permeats eachpart of my existence, and we have always “understood each other” perfectly.

more. http://www.markostamatovic.com/