An interview with Luiz Paulo Lima, journalist and curator of the Charles Chuck Martin exhibition Reflections Connections at the Imã Foto gallery in São Paulo.
Can you tell us about the photographer and his work?
I’ve known Chuck—Charles Martin—for almost 30 years. He’s a professor of literature at Queens College, and an important black photographer in America. I identified with the spare relationship he has with photography. He photographs, then re-photographs, everything he sees. This has a price… On the one hand, the quantity. On the other hand, the madness of publishing when putting together an exhibition. What’s great is that his work “speaks” in a contemporary language. He understands the role of the photographer as someone who transforms realities.
How did you come up with the idea for the exhibition?
I suggested the idea to Egberto Nogueira and Carla Meira at Imã Foto gallery. They agreed and asked me to be the curator. The exhibition was put together in six months. I received many photographs and decided to focus on images of the United States, Brazil and Algeria. I made an initial selection by bringing together the symbolic elements contained within the photographs, then according to where they were taken. We chose the title during the final phase of the exhibition. While we were putting it together, we were struck by the number of reflections and connections, which is why we chose the title Reflections / Connections.
What will visitors discover at this exhibition?
There are a total of 28 photographs in color and black-and-white. Each photographs has its own message. It’s possible to place two landscapes side-by-side, one of New York and the other of Botafogo seen from Niteroi (Rio de Janeiro) and obtain an harmony or a tension between the two photographs. Chuck’s photography has the power to seduce by connecting images through his reflections.
Reflections Connections
Charles Chuck Martin
Through March 16, 2014
Imã Foto Galeria
Rua Fradique Coutinho, 1239
São Paulo-SP
Brazil
