Irakly Shanidze photographer originally from Soviet Republic of Georgia
Today, Russianfoto focuses on a single photograph.
Russianfoto: Can you tell us how the idea for this photo came to you?
Irakly Shanidze: It just did… I do not make an effort to come up with ideas, they are just there. I look at a person and know how she or he needs to look on a photo. It is the people who drive the story, not the other way around.
Russianfoto: What does the image mean to you?
Irakly Shanidze: It is just one of a long list of commissioned portraits that I’ve taken. I market my portraiture as unique: never repeat anybody, never repeat myself. So, there are no two portraits that even remotely recall each other. On a personal level, now we are real friends.
Russianfoto: Can you talk about the sexuality and irony in the picture?
Irakly Shanidze: What irony? :)))))))) In taking this picture, I was exceedingly honest. This woman is an explosion of sex appeal, and this is what had to be the main theme of the portrait. The best way to show some character trait is in a situation where it is not expected to show. So, the idea was, if she is so bloody sexy, she will be that way anywhere, even in the kitchen.
Russianfoto: How did you choose the model?
Irakly Shanidze: I did not. She contacted me and asked if she could commission me for a portrait.
Russianfoto: How does this relate to your work with commercial and art photography?
Irakly Shanidze: It relates directly: this is an example of my commercial photography that others consider art.
Russianfoto: Which photographers have influenced your work?
Irakly Shanidze: The only photographer who did it the most was Guy Bourdin. Philipp Halsman did too, to a degree. In fact, it was Halsman’s photo, which I first saw at the age of 15, that inspired me to do what I do. It was a portrait of Dali with a huge skull behind him. The skull was made of naked women. It was not the nudity that amazed me, but the fact that something so obviously recognizable can be turned into an object, which one could expect the least. Photography can change reality, this is what I saw there. So, in sailing terms, Halsman set the bearing, but Bourdin taught me how to hold the course.
Russianfoto: Are you a fan of John Waters?
Irakly Shanidze: Well, yes… Pink Flamingoes was cool, but Hairspray and Cry Baby completely lost me. I mean, compared to Louis Buñuel, or Marco Ferreri, Waters looks like a movie school dropout, if we want to compare him to his contemporaries.
Russianfoto: What are you working on now?
Irakly Shanidze: After so many attempts to outsource web development for my photo school, I realized that nobody can do it better than me. So, this is what I am working on right now. Does not sound too sexy, does it? :) I just finished writing a textbook, it is in pre-orders on Amazon. So, another thing to work on right now is “helping” the publisher to do the marketing. This is even worse than building a web site!
Summarizing from the bio on his site: Irakly Shanidze was born in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia in 1968. Photography became his passion when he was twelve years old, and it has remained that way throughout his life. Early on, the artist's photographic interests quickly narrowed to fine art nudes and psychedelic glamour. After finishing high school, he began moving in this direction. Irakly came to the United States in 1993 as a graduate student. At first, he had little time for photography. Eventually, however, he resumed his photo activities, and gradually photography began to consume most of his free time again. Now Irakly shoots mostly in his home studio, claiming he is too spoiled to withstand the rough conditions of the great outdoors. Over the years, Irakly, never taking his artistic work too seriously, has simply gone with the flow. By going with the flow, however, he has managed to leave a notable artistic trail. At the time of writing this bio, Irakly has exhibited his work in fourteen one-person and group shows, and has published more than a hundred photographs and numerous articles in American and Russian photo magazines and web sites.
For more on this photographer, visit www.shanidze.com