What are we looking for?

UnframedOctober 6, 2017
What are we looking for?

That one place where time slows down or even stops. Caspar Claasen, Amsterdam based photographer, in his Musea series captures detached museum visitors contemplating art (or not) and different moments of solitude with a nice sense of humor that just makes us smile.

How do you construct your own photographic language?
This series follows the same approach and method as all my photography. I tend to make quite graphical and clean compositions, mostly of individuals, of situations I run into. This somehow appeals to me. After a while that becomes a sort of visual language and I started to look for that more and more.
What is the intention behind your work?
In this case, I felt that the visitors are often part of the exhibition, are part of the experience of visiting a museum. I can’t pretend they are not there. So, naturally, they will form a connection or interaction with the exhibition, with the artworks. And sometimes this leads to interesting new stories, which you might not have noticed if you didn’t take a step back.
Do you have a favorite pick from the Musea series?
A few. But I do have a soft spot for the family watching the Max Ernst painting of the Jesus child being chastised by the Virgin.
As you contemplate and photograph strangers in the museum, did you ever get caught and got an unexpected reaction?

No. Most people haven’t noticed me, since nowadays everybody is taking pictures in museums. So no one expects to be in the frame with the artworks.
If you were one those people captured in your Musea series how would that picture look like?

How can I know? Would depend on so many things…
We believe that Musea series content a sense of humor, would you say the same for your own persona too?

No.
Author: Serra Duran

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