Great attention for details, bright colors and everyday life objects reinterpreted in a humoristic key are the basic elements in the Lituan photographer Aleksandra Kingo’s shoots.
Based in London, she focused mostly on fashion and still life photography, working also on ad campaigns.
Graduated at the London College of Fashion, Aleksandra believes that photography is something personal and loves the possibility of creating any kind of world through her medium.
Fascinated by her out of the ordinary images, we put her some questions to know something more about her.
First of all, could you tell me how your interest in photography was born and why you have decided to concentrate your attention mostly on fashion photography?
Since the young age, I was one of those ‘artsy teenagers’ who would walk around town with a big film camera in town, getting friends to pose for me and trying to make mini-scenarios in my shots. Ryan McGinley and Lina Schenius were my favourite photographers at the time. With time I realised I would like to do this for living. My interest to go for fashion was determined my my love of creating new worlds and situations with images, it is I think also the most playful & fun kind of photography. Although what I do now is probably more of a mix of fashion, advertising and some sort of art.
Where does the idea of a picture come from?
To be honest, from all around! It can come from a story a friend tells me, my own clumsy situation (like spilling all coffee on myself or having lipstick stains on my teeth), an image on the Internet or a piece of news from Facebook feed. I absorb the information like a sponge and any of it could result in an image.
What do you want to express through a picture?
Depends on a shoot. But every picture is always a fun game for me.
Do you sometimes show something about you and your personality through your shots?
A lot. As I said above, some of the shots might be reworked from the things that happened to me in real life. Also, I have been told a lot recently that I “look like my pictures”. I always wear red lipstick and funny glasses, and the colours I wear are mostly bright colour block. This is, however, a mutual influence – the pictures affect my style as much as I affect the pictures.
Your images seem full of hidden meanings that is up to the viewer to discover, is that true?
There are most of the time lots of both cultural and visual references in each of the images, but often I use them pretty unconciously – it might something I have seen or experienced before. Sometimes these references only become clear when the viewers point them out to me. And this is always a lot of fun.
Colors are very important to you, how do you use them and what are they expression of?
I believe in colour psychology, and I am sure that each of them has its own connotation, so I often use that in my work. But sometimes it is just purely visual aesthetic that determines my choice. I love all things RGB-bright.
I have read about your pictures that are inspired by the 70’s fashion trends, pop art and Wes Anderson’s movies, but I think there is a lot more behind. What do you think about it?
You are right, there is much more behind and I would not like to be defined by just these three inspirations. Especially with Wes Anderson – as much as I am in love with his films, they are only one of plenty of things that influence me (and not in a major way). However, social media somehow picked up on this reference, don’t know why! Anyway, it’s not the worst name to be associated with, after all.
Why your intent to create almost surrealistic images?
I don’t think I try hard to make them look surreal. My inspirations mostly come from everyday life and the beauty of the trivia, as well as movies. I then take those inspirations and push them to the point of absurdity. I guess that’s when they start looking almost surreal.
Can you choose one of your pictures, your favorite – if you have one, and tell us something more about it?
I think the one with the feet and a cigarette. It’s one of the shots everything has started with, with which I really understood how would I like to take pictures and work. I believe it also perfectly sums up my aesthetic.
What are you working on now and what are your plans for the future?
The next couple of months will be busy and exciting. Can’t drop any names yet really, but I am shooting an editorial for a major UK magazine this week, then travelling to Beirut and Paris to shoot, also making a fashion film for one of my favourite French artists. Good things to come. Speaking of the further future, I think there is still a lot to learn. I would love to get my own studio and test and play as much as I can.