“The analogue technique suits me, because I don’t want too much control over my pictures,” Lu Kowski explains. “At least not when I shoot them. I want to focus on the moment and not on technique. If I fail, I fail.”
Her photographic expression displays some similarities to that of contemporary photographers such as Anders Petersen, Antoine D’Agata and Jacob Aue Sobol. But Lu Kowski is no imitator; she is not even inspired by her predecessors.
“Looking at old pictures and photo books is only confusing”, she claims. “But I can be inspired by a photographer’s personality.”
Lu Kowski depicts her inner world and feelings. It is a frightening, strange universe full of darkness, exposedness and alienation, but also of passion, love and intimacy. Lu Kowski’s imagery is intense, courageous, naked – even provocative.
But what is it that we see? Is it love – interplay or exploitation? What do we feel when faced with Lu Kowski’s images? This is an imagery both repellent and enticing.
07 May — 14 September, 2014
Lu Kowski
Melancholia
To appreciate life, Lu Kowski pushes her boundaries to the extreme. Her approach to photography is based on honesty and presence. She challenges herself, and us the viewers, with her deliberately contrast-rich and obtrusive photography. Now she presents her experiences at Fotografiska. Every image is a story and part of her life.
skildrar sin egen inre värld och sina egna känslor
“I approach my motifs differently each time, depending on how I feel or on the situation. Every image has a story, they are parts of my life,” Lu says...
“The pictures help me express feelings that I can’t put into words. But I don’t want to talk too much about my photographs. You can interpret them in different ways, depending on your experiences or the mood you’re in. I want people to see themselves in my images.”
About Lu Kowski
Lu Kowski was born in 1986 in Umeå to a Swedish father and a Greek mother. At the age of three she moved to Athens with her mother and has lived in Greece ever since. She developed her imagery by studying under the French Magnum photographer Antoine D’Agata. She was handpicked to the photo programme Kulturama Högre Fotografisk Utbildning (Higher Photography Education) in 2013-2014. She has previously studied at the Leica Academy in Athens.
