(ENGLISH VERSION)

Subtle Countercurrent: A Conversation with Mariska Karto about Her Work

Translation by Tiffany Amber Elías Trimble

In portraiture, of course, the general critical objective is the notion of person. We are concerned with how light, framing, and pose can reveal something of the subject’s interiority or, on the contrary, construct a desired identity. This tension becomes sharper when addressing the representation of women and femininity. At this point, from the romantic muse to the pop icon, through mercantile objectification, ideals, myths, and anxieties of all kinds have been projected, from era to era.

Mariska Karto’s photography, influenced by the dramatic intensity of the Baroque and the poetics of the Old Masters, positions itself against the current of contemporary immediacy. With her hyper-photocollages, she subtly reconfigures femininity. She integrates influences ranging from Renaissance paintings to her multicultural heritage from Suriname, Indonesia, and Africa, not simply drawing from a rich iconographic tradition, but subjecting it to a torsion that reveals its validity or its fracture.

The artist’s proposal finds in the sensuality and vulnerability of the female body its main materials. Far from falling into complacency, her gaze on bodies, enhanced by tattoos that narrate personal stories, becomes an, to say the least, interesting argument about the complexity of identity.

We spoke with her to delve into her creative process, exploring her particular conception of portraiture, light, and the construction of worlds through images…

The image must speak for itself: it must pose its own questioning. But there are several paths. Several arts, to begin with. How do you arrive at photography as a form of expression, and how at portraiture in particular?

Photography came into my life when I needed it. For me, it was the best way to express my emotions and feelings. I started by photographing myself. In this way, I could process my emotions, which at the time were imaginative but also dark emotions. This is also how I learned photography and Photoshop. By photographing myself, I didn’t have to disappoint a model while I was still learning.

Why women? In what way does the atmosphere of your portraits lend itself to illuminating or, as the case may be, veiling questions about femininity that are of interest to you?

I am a woman myself, and the stories I tell are often my own. For me, it therefore feels natural to portray women. The spectrum of womanhood is incredibly broad. Of course, it includes everyday life and the situations we experience as women, but also sensuality.

To me, sensuality is emotion, poetry, but also eroticism. That is an important part of life too. I think the female body is incredibly beautiful, round and soft. That is the nature of the female body, and I enjoy portraying it in that way.

What are your main influences?

There are many different influences. Of course, I am inspired by art from the past, but also by contemporary art. Life as it is lived today also plays a role.

I think I am primarily inspired by the life I experience myself and by the life around me that I notice and observe.

How do you conceive your images? Does the idea come first, the face, perhaps the body, the wardrobe and so on, or is it the circumstances? How planned is your process?

Sometimes they are seeds that were planted in the past but only come to life much later. There can also be many different sources of inspiration behind an image. Often, they are like pieces of a puzzle that eventually fall into place.

Feelings and images usually come first. The words come afterwards.

How do you choose your models?

I work with both models I know personally and professional models with whom I feel a connection. I need to have a connection with a model. It is often simply a feeling.

Beauty, balance, freshness, sensual appeal, seductive mystery. How much does each element weigh in your vision of each work? How much, on the other hand, does it weigh in the editing of the images?

That depends on the story. The models in my shadow world, for example, are portrayed very differently from my more seductive models.

It is not only the model that carries great weight. Building the environment is equally important, and that often takes often more time than photographing the model itself. I also create props myself, and ultimately, I am not simply photographing ordinary models.

The model visibly transforms from an ordinary girl into a figure who can frighten you or fill you with desire. Sometimes she can be literally terrifyingly attractive at the same time.

Seduction exists in many different elements: in her presence and expression, but also in female shapes. The challenge is to create art in a way that is mine and speaks my language. Because alongside my signature, I am also present as a personality.

I literally create a world that is deeply my own and one that invites others to look into.

What would you like someone who has been able to see all your work gathered together to ask you?

Not so much a question, but above all, I would like them to see my development.

I would like people to recognize how much creativity goes into developing all of the conceptual albums, and to see the growth within them, the evolution from one album to the next.

Coming up with an idea for the first time, and even the second time, is often the easiest part. Continuing to develop it for years, while also continuing to grow and evolve, only becomes visible when you have been working for many years in your portfolio.

That is often the most difficult part of an artist’s development. It is literally about encountering yourself and entering into a struggle with yourself.

What are you aiming for next?

I haven’t really developed a plan. That is not how it works for me.

I listen to my soul, that is my compass. And that compass shows me the way.