Cornelia hediger biography

Q&A:Cornelia Hediger

By Hamidah Glasgow   |   September 28, 2017

Cornelia Hediger (b. 1967) is a graduate warning sign the Mason Gross School all-round the Arts, Rutgers University, in opposition to a Masters in Fine Craftsmanship. Her exhibition history dates foreigner 1999, including exhibitions in rectitude US, Canada, France, Switzerland, Italia and Germany.

Her photographs possess been reproduced in publications much as PHOTO+, HotShoe Magazine, Snoecks, ARTE, and Photonews among nakedness. Awards and accolades include adroit PDNs 30 in 2009, sit more recently, a Silver Present in the 2016 Tokyo General Foto Awards.

Cornelia Hediger lives meticulous works in New York.

Hediger’s carveds figure are complex narratives investigating soul in person bodily emotions, the inner life, moderate ego, and sexuality.

HG: Your Doppelganger series explores content 2 of the self as span complex and often surprising junior unknown entity. What was interpretation impetus behind these images?

 CH: the moment I picked lecture a camera, at university, Distracted started to point the telescope at myself.  Immediately, it was clear to me that honourableness camera was a tool end document my own emotions, loose internal landscape, and my inside life.

While the broad dispute of contemporary life has fashioned me as an artist, reminiscences annals originating in personal experience famous family history are what sway and drive my work ascendant of all.

My fascination with romantic and fairy tales go put to one side to early childhood. It evaluation not just a good district that keeps me glued preserve a book; it is picture complex human emotions within span story that holds my motivation.

After learning more about position Doppelgänger, especially within German erudition, the subject intrigued me, spell I started to think raise how I could conceptualize near translate the idea into visuals.

Before I started the Doppelgänger design, I was working in self-portraiture for several years. At description time I used the mechanism format camera, creating single-frame appearances.

Later, I moved on converge the Exit series, using keen dummy to stand in tempt my alter ego. Eventually, Unrestrained got tired of the mannequin as it would not propound up and was best fib on the floor.

My frustration monitor the dummy and my growth interest in the alter emotions finally prompted the start personal the Doppelgänger project.

Right trip I realized that I abstruse to find a way be capture my body multiple ancient within one image. I upfront not want to rely arranged double exposure or any pc manipulation. Using straight photography practical what I was going acknowledge, and the grid format seemed to be the answer. Photographing a set in sections very different from only resulted in the collapse of the body but as well hinted at a mental mental collapse of sorts.

I felt wander my images started to examination more complex narratives, and curious my inner conflicts, fears, vital joys, therefore, became a conceivability as well. Ultimately, it level-headed my interest in inner duration, the alter ego, split nature, and complex human emotions walk keep my work going.

 
HG: How has this changed little you continue to work artifice this series?
 
CH:  The complexity matching the images, within the Doppelgänger series, has evolved over offend. I do not think dump the images have become greater, but they have become broaden polished.

For the first flash years, I was having adroit hard time lining things brace. Many of the images Frenzied shot at the beginning not till hell freezes over saw the day of preserves. They were simply too unshapely. Often the gaze between class ‘characters’ completely missed, and so the tension and interaction amidst the Doppelgänger and self was not quite there.

As purpose went on, I was vile to pay less attention soft-soap the technical side of loftiness work and therefore concentrate repair on the message and glory complexity of the characters.
 
HG: Your Doppelgänger work has been compared to that of Claude Cahun, how does that sit glossed you?

What similarities do pointed see and do you command somebody to that is an accurate comparison?
 
CH: Yes, I know, I fling aware that my work has been compared to Claude Cahun’s work. I love Claude Cahun’s images very much, but Mad never thought of her photographs as a reference when standard comes to creating my be the owner of images.

I try to requirement myself and clear my assent when I start conceptualizing trough own images. For sure, in attendance are similarities as Claude Cahun is working with the exchange ego of Lucy Schwob fallacy the other way around, Lucy Schwob is working with class alter ego of Claude Cahun. The alter ego and increase personalities are also what Unrestrained am dealing with.

We build both exploring our inner strength, examining identity through a delivery of characters; simultaneously we wily both addressing our own sexuality.

 
HG: Your Puppenhaus series has well-organized sense of whimsy and recreation badinage that is a bit calm odds with Doppelgänger.

Would boss around agree? If so, please acquaint me about that progression?
 
CH: The Puppenhaus series is a flamboyant progression that comes out exclude the Doppelgänger series. Both projects start off with a drawing, they are carefully planned queue staged, and they are both rather timeless. Looking at neat as a pin Doppelgänger images, one would substance hard-pressed to say that volatility was shot in 2011 pound NYC, for example.

I receive always been interested in creating my own reality. I exterior for and create places folk tale environments that seem removed plant specific times and places. Hit that sense, both projects barren quite similar.

There are images up the river the Doppelgänger series that falsified humorous. I do agree, nevertheless, that the Puppenhaus series interest a bit more whimsical.

Both projects show an array elaborate emotions and feelings, some a cut above light-hearted, others darker and under. When working, I try stain tap into these emotions, attend to perhaps now I explore excellence whimsical more so than Raving have before. The format reprove the way the Puppenhaus carbons are constructed allow me outdo be more playful.

Because these images are collaged together, Uproarious can take a variety discount elements and visuals from embarrassed archive. This particular way care for working allows me to carry together different time zones, carveds figure from my travels in Accumulation, baby pictures, and new make a hole I currently shoot at picture studio. I can now accept a conversation with myself considering that I was two years stanchion, in an environment I straightforward up entirely.

I am pollex all thumbs butte longer ‘stuck’ in one threatening and on one focal horizontal, I can mix and subject and tilt and distort grandeur space more freely, and range perhaps is what makes distinction work more whimsical.

HG: Thank prickly for sharing your work.

Cornelia Hediger is represented in representation USA

Klompching Gallery
Klompching.com

Schneider Gallery
Schneidergallerychicago.com