The terrible weight of time #2
APRIL 14TH, 2022
PHOTOGRAPHY WITH AN EDGE is a periodical feature showcasing NFT artists working with photographic practices that defy or challenge the common definition of a photograph. We are here to explore and celebrate these more exotic forms of photography and the free mixture of old and new, art and science, analog and digital employed in the exploration of the limits and possibilities of light, chemistry, and bits.
Dilara Pak’s ethereal self-portraits do what the best photographs do. They stop you and compel you to really look at them - to allow your eye and your imagination to move about the frame absorbing the details; to step outside of time for a few moments and use all your senses to see. In a world in which we find ourselves bombarded with images constantly, this is no small feat. Given how engaging the images are alone, it’s a bonus to find that the photographer has the soul of a poet and a storyteller.
Take, The Second Moment, for an example.
The description reads, “The woman opened her eyelids at the one who had never been there. She was looking at her first memory. Her memory was the dark forest, which she would have to visit forever more.” I find myself traveling from image to text and back again, probing the mystery in the words and the gaze, and wishing these sentences were the opening of a novel. I am eager for more of the story.
The Last Moment, gives us what is perhaps another glimpse into the same narrative: “The woman embraced the memories that remained on the surface together with her dark forest. Her death was the most valuable proof that she was alive.”
However, it pulls me out of the sense of a novel and into a much deeper philosophy as I confront and weigh the idea that death could be the very proof of our existence. Visually enraptured, imagination firing, I am now intellectually captured as well. Dilara has my rapt attention as I browse her body of work with its themes of time, memory, destruction, death and rebirth. There is a distinct heaviness in Dilara’s stories, and yet I tear myself away feeling a lightness of being at having spent time in her world.
I end with Same Distance from Everything, an image in which I find stillness and peace.
Let’s let Dilara tell us more about herself and her work.
Can you describe your process?
My process of producing photos is not always the same. It starts with an image that appears especially in my mind, and from then on I try to bring everything I can touch closer to that image. I clearly know what I want to reflect in my work. Taking a photo is the last and simplest stage of the process.
Where do you look for inspiration?
I believe that in order to comprehend the earth where our feet touch, we must first comprehend our existence. My process of producing photographs is mostly the concrete result of me trying to comprehend my existence. Every insight brings with it an enlightenment. And I'm getting closer to myself as I produce. Especially as a woman, I carry the burden of the patriarchal society I live in on my shoulders. Art exists for me a little to make this burden visible. Of course, the uniqueness of nature also motivates me when I am looking for my existence. I consider poetic depictions as part of my pursuits. And the capture of time contains a tangible proof of confronting the sad transience of time. When I look at these photos, I see myself as proof of my testimony.
What started you on this journey?
As a child, I had a compact camera. Waiting for the bathing phase of the photos was the biggest thrill of my childhood. I wanted to study art academically, and this journey opened the door to new thrills.
What prompted you to expand your work into the NFT realm?
The photos I produce are mostly self-portraits. This search for meaning is also a search for storytelling. And it gives me happiness to be able to share this with other people. The most important aspect of NFTs for me is to be able to exhibit my work freely and independently. I don't need to convince anyone to publish my work, as in physical exhibitions, or to present my work to their liking. For me, NFTs are a revolution because it creates this free and equal space. Thanks to this, now creative souls from all over the world can get acquainted, and share their art with each other.
Where do you expect your work to take you in the next year?
To foresee the future is a courage that will not be possible for me when i think about the cruelty of time. But it's exciting to produce new projects. I hope that I can share my art with more people next year, which is the biggest source of motivation for me.
Where can people find your work?
