Ana Cuba
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
Ana Cuba was born in 1989 and grew up in Zaragoza. She’s currently living in Barcelona, where she is studying Audiovisual Communication at the Pompeu Fabra university. Ana Cuba has been photographing since 2007.
After two years of experimenting with photography, I finally found my path with portraiture. Over the last few months, I’ve been working with the themes of adolescence and vulnerability. My photographs explore a false intimacy and sometimes the inevitably forced, in a naturalistic way. Currently, what interests me most is the human body itself, and I am exploring concepts like the fragmentation and corruption of it.
FJORD: How do you feel the Internet has affected the way you work? Have you changed the style of work you do or the way you present your work based on the way the Internet has changed how photography functions?
Ana: Well, in part, I started with photography due to the Internet, so we can not talk about a real “change” in my case. Obviously, I would have started photographing without the Internet too, but in my case, I think it was some kind of catalyst for my starting.
F: How do you gain inspiration for your work? Where do you look for ideas?
A: Apart from spending too much time on Flickr and other websites, I gain inspiration mostly from cinema (that’s what I’m studying), some interesting classes at my university, and of course, my everyday life. I know it sounds cliche but I try to always keep a camera with me so I can capture everything that catches my attention. Although they don’t always have photographic value, it’s very interesting to collect these shots.
F: What are your favorite websites?
A: Some of them are Flickr, Youtube, IMDb, ffffound, wordreference and lots of interesting blogs like Booooooom. Recently, I’ve discovered http://dearphotographer.com/, which is really funny and sincere.
F: Do you have any suggestions to help new and emerging photographers gain exposure? How did you initially start to promote yourself and your work?
A: Well, I still consider myself in that situation, so I don’t know if I can really help. What I’ve done up to now is starting a Flickr, which is really good for starting. Through there, I’ve met lots of people whose work has inspired me. If you believe in your work, you just have to wait, although we all know that’s difficult, patience is really important.
F: Where do you see your work going in the next year and in the future in general?
A: I don’t even know if I will like my current work one year from now. I’m quite insatiable in that aspect. So I prefer not to do predictions.
