Always express yourself !
Júlia Standovár is a visual artist who has been living in Brooklyn New York since 2013. She received the József Pécsi Scholarship in 2018 and 2019. She graduated from the Moholy-Nagy University of Arts and Design in BA Photography in 2013 and from the School of Visual Arts in MA Photo-Video and Related Media in New York in 2015. She participated in several group exhibitions locally and internationally, for example the Ludwig Museum and the Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Centre in Budapest or at the MoMA PS1 Art Photo Book Fair and the Every Woman Biennial in New York.
She actually has her first solo show Over the Blue Nipple Hills curated by Éda Meggyesházi at TOBE gallery,. The exhibition explores issues related to sexuality, many layers of togetherness and the different levels of intimacy through photography, works on paper and concrete objects. the imagery is based on the book of the same title that was co-written by Zsuzsanna Bede sexual physiologist and her daughter Júlia Standovár, it contains sincere conversations between mother and daughter alongside the art works.
The artist throughout her art practice works simultaneously on several projects that are closely related, interwoven, and affected by one and other. The array of media presented at the exhibition varies from photography of still-life to portraiture, works on paper that are diary like and concrete objects, which are material manifestations of corporeal and personal relationships. All three media leave room to their individual and joint interpretation.
The uniqueness of the exhibition lies in the fact that although it is about the human, more precisely about the personal and intimate relationships of people, the body is not brought to the forefront necessarily. Instead the artist allots the partly concrete party ready made objects with well known characteristics of human relationships, therefore the human body doesn’t become the primary interest of desire and fascination. A concrete object is able to show not only the corporal’s, but also the soul’s attributes, considering that the object bears the duality of toughness and fragility. The subject matter of family, mostly appearing on the photographs can be the starting point of interpretation for grown up relationships. These perceptions became visual indications of intimacy on the diary like notes.
In spite of a linear reading the artworks create dialogues, recalling their own sensibility, materiality and traceable patterns, in this way constructing a natural and organic language, where the questions of womanhood, generational differences, physical existence, and sexual taboos are conveyed understandable for the spectator through humour and irony. The diverse media and their personal and lyrical documentations are in constant parallel with the book’s dialogical and reflective synthesis, meanwhile the installation of the exhibited pieces allows the viewer to process an everyday issue through their own experiences.
Your first photographic click ?
Julia Standovar : The first picture I remember I was proud of was made in Transylvania. We visited a small church and from the outside I saw a side door half open and inside there was a chair just standing on its own and the sunlight was hitting it perfectly.
The man of images who inspires you?
Julia Standovar : At the very beginning I was inspired by Anton Corbij’s portraits.. More recently I would say works by Carrie Mae Weems, Erin Shirreff, Sarah Lucas, Letha Wilson.
The image you wish you had made?
Julia Standovar : A self portrait the day I arrived in New York in 2013.
The one that moved you the most?
Julia Standovar : There was a Benetton ad of a man dying of AIDS, his family sitting by his side. It was quite a controversial campaign but it burned into my memory.
And the one that made you angry?
Julia Standovar : Every image of Victor Orban .
A key image in your personal pantheon?
Julia Standovar : There’s an image I took of my sister and her boyfriend, now her husband. They are kissing on a balcony and there’s a milk carton in the foreground. That picture was part of my art school application, that was the first print I sold and it is part of my first solo show now at the TOBE Gallery as well.
The quality needed to be a good photographer?
Julia Standovar : You need to be diligent.
The secret to the perfect image, if it exists?
Julia Standovar : You know the feeling when you shoot on film and you click and smile and without seeing the image you know that it is going to be a good one. So I guess you have to see the picture before you even take it.
The person you would dream of photographing?
Julia Standovar : I would love to photograph or work with Little Simz. She is very inspiring artist.
A must-have photo book?
Julia Standovar : Pacifico Silano / I WISH I NEVER SAW THE SUNSHINE, LOOSE JOINTS
The camera of your early days?
Julia Standovar : Yashica Mat 124 and I had a 35mm Minolta, I forgot which one, don’t hate me.
The one you use today?
Julia Standovar : I use a Mamiya RZ 645 pro, a Canon AE-1, a Yashica 13 super and a Hasselblad H5d.
Your favorite drug?
Julia Standovar : Weed, but it is not a drug. 🙂
The best way to disconnect for you?
Julia Standovar : Walking with good music possibly in nature. Even better if I can be by the water.
Your greatest quality?
Julia Standovar : I have a very rich fantasy world. I can escape in my head easily.
An image to illustrate a new bank bill?
Julia Standovar : Waves of the ocean, you want it to be endless, right?
The job you wouldn’t have liked to do?
Julia Standovar : As a photographer? Shoot any kind of events… I like to create my own narrative and atmosphere.
Your biggest extravagance as a photographer?
Julia Standovar I had a fashion shoot in 2019 at the Hortobagyi National Park in Hungary and they got over 50 horses there for just us to play with, and a huge herd of Hungarian Grey Cattle. It was amazing.
The values you want to share through your images?
Julia Standovar : Empathy, openness, humor sometimes with a hint of sensual darkness.
The city, country or culture you dream of discovering?
Julia Standovar : I moved to New York City 8 years ago and I feel like I am still discovering the city even though I consider it home. But I would love to discover Morocco, Mexico City, Johannesburg, Peru. I keep dreaming of other places!
The place you never get tired of?
Julia Standovar : New York City, or if you want something more specific I would say the Szechenyi Bath House in Budapest or my Brooklyn appartment.
Your biggest regret?
Julia Standovar : That’s a big question! Professionally I guess that I followed the rules and wasn’t brave enough to experiment and fail. Now I fail all the time and it is great.You learn a lot from those experiences.
Instagram, Tik Tok or snapchat?
Julia Standovar : Instagram, if you want to check me out: @_standovar / @kinky_concrete / @over_the_blue_nipple_hills … one for each project.
Color or b&w?
Julia Standovar : Really depends, but I always shoot in color. Hey, you can always turn it into black&white. It’s good to have options.
Daylight or artificial light?
Julia Standovar : Again, it really depends on what I shoot. I feel comfortable in the studio but I love natural light equally. I like to control but it is exciting for me to find good light and use it as is or modify it.
The most photogenic city in your opinion?
Julia Standovar : The most photogenic place I’ve ever been was Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. So powerful, so sexy and mysterious.
If God existed would you ask him to pose for you, or would you opt for a selfie with him?
Julia Standovar : I would definitely ask God to pose for me first. In general I don’t like to be on pictures, but if he/she was cool I would try to get a portrait of us with a tripod.
The image that represents for you the current state of the world?
Julia Standovar : You know when you shoot on film and the last image has that glitch, half exposed half nothing. An image that is beautifully interrupted but never intentional, unpredictable and fades into darkness. That’s how I see the world right now.
What if everything had to be done over again?
Julia Standovar : I would do it better.
