Interview
Mark Eden
Mark Eden is a photographer based in Melbourne, Australia. Mark's work focuses on lesser explored regions and new ways to understand well known places, often through the daily experiences of the people who live there. Known for his evocative, thought-provoking images, Mark is constantly exploring the world as it is today and how it came to be so.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I’m a photographer who started out doing assignments and client work but am now making a transition into self-publishing and print sales. I love to tell stories and I’m hoping that will allow me to choose the subjects that I care about, which is always the work I end up being most proud of.”
What inspires you?
“People, in short, and their stories. I love finding stories of people doing great things. That can be anything from artists or craftspeople and their amazing creations, people devoted to some social or environmental cause, through to people working hard for a subsistence living and trying to set a good example for their children. There’s a story in anything if you want to look for it and I think they’re all as important as each other.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“I’m interested in the diversity of our world, but at the same time how similar we all are no matter what our background is. We might have different customs and beliefs, but in the end we all need food, water, shelter and companionship. It’s actually the theme of my first book Global Village which is out in July. I'm also a history nerd and I'm curious about how things came to be as they are, so there tends to be some kind of historical angle to the work as I dig into that.”
How would you describe your work?
“As travel and documentary photography with an artistic bent. I like to leave things unanswered in images. Dark or empty spaces that encourage viewers to ask questions. ‘What is over there?’ or ‘What is she looking at?’ It's important to me to connect the viewer with the subject, so I tend to shoot what a place ‘feels’ like, rather than what it looks like.”
Which artists influence you most?
“Generally, it’s photographers that have been able to convey a mood or a feeling of the specific time and place they’re in. Josef Koudelka in particular has done this with his haunting images that put you right in the Soviet Invasion of Prague or into the lives of Roma communities during the 1960’s and 70’s. I’m also heavily influenced by other mediums. Although I haven’t been yet, the Turkish author Orhan Pamuk makes me want to see Istanbul. You know when you read a book where the author makes the location seem like a character of its own? It's the same with music. That’s what I try to do with my own work.”
“I’m interested in the diversity of our world, but at the same time how similar we all are no matter what our background is.”
What is your creative process like?
“It’s kind of one extreme or the other. I like to work in series rather than single images so on one hand it will be hours of research to understand the subject and how to tell the story, previsualizing the images that would do this and doing my best to capture them. On the other it’s being in a place and randomly learning of something or someone really interesting, and then kind of pulling at that thread and following it wherever it goes, figuring it all out along the way. Both though are just as enjoyable and rewarding.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“I think it’s to ask questions rather than give answers or make comments. Or more specifically to encourage viewers question things. Sure I have my own views on many issues, but rather than push my views onto others, I think if I can raise awareness or even spark discussion that leads to a new understanding, then that’s much more important. If we understand someone, we’re less likely to cause them harm. Separation leads to conflict. Closeness leads to care. I think artists can have a big role to play in bringing people closer together. Technology both brings us together and pushes us apart, so printing and publishing work and bringing it into the ‘real’ world is a way of bringing people together.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“About a year ago I released a print series called Havana St, Havana about life in the city today and how it came to be. It was really well received and I exhibited it at a bar here in Melbourne. I much prefer that kind of exhibition - where people can be comfortable and discuss the work over a drink or something to eat.”
Website: www.markeden.com.au
Instagram: @_markeden
