Bill Ipsan: A New Type of Landscape
The artist behind the Urban Landscapes exhibit displayed at the Paseo de los Museos in Casa Santo Domingo describes his collection as “a new type of landscape.” Bill Ipsan’s exhibition of 31 distinct images was unveiled in La Antigua September 26, 2009. Art enthusiasts will have the chance to view his edgy, urban photographs – printed upon canvas with a museum-quality ink meant to last up to 150 years – until October 22, 2009.
“I like things that have longevity,” Ipsan explains about how he exhibits his work. Yet, ironically, Ipsan says the motivation behind his photography is to capture a moment in time that will never again be repeated. And yet, he admits that such a “moment” will never be captured quite right.
“A photograph is like a lie because you can’t duplicate it perfectly… You can’t be pure. There is no pure.”
Thus, with a whopping 30 cameras – 20 antiques and 10 digital – Ipsan truly delights in capturing the “passing moment” albeit in a slightly fictitious way.
“The more challenging aspects for me are finding more and more images that are moving, touching and inspiring to me. That’s my challenge. And having the show is great but at the end of the day it’s really capturing that wonderful image.”
Among his favorite cameras that he owns is the Canon 30D because, he says, “the lenses recreate a deeper color, which is more true to the image I’m photographing.”
Yet, the significance behind what he captures, he says, develops after-the-fact.
“I think that the meaning comes later once people reflect when seeing the finished image. But at the moment, I don’t really have any meaning.”
Ipsan certainly finds meaning when reflecting upon his completely digital work at the exhibit. Blue Tarp (Lona Azul) is a piece that Ipsan says he finds romantic “because it’s both masculine and feminine at the same time.” Floating Wall (Pared Flotando) has a similar quality:
“This is a landmark piece that defines a time and a place that does not exist anymore. It’s feminine, delicate and soft. Yet, there is strength from the walls. It’s both sensitive and masculine. A kind of harmony.”
Ipsan also has a flair for resurrecting the damaged to something of value, such as his piece Glass Wall (Pared de Vidrio):
“I like the dimension that this image has because it shows that we can make something that has been destroyed into something beautiful and unique.”
And it is not just about capturing an image, but capturing an audience. Ipsan says he finds such a quality in his piece, Discover Yourself (Descubrirte):
“It’s soft. It reminds me of the tenderness in life and being present. It actually feels like you can physically touch it. It brings you into the image if you allow it.”
Originally from Cuba, Ipsan grew up in New York and now calls San Diego, CA home. Ipsan can boast about 10 public exhibitions, including an exhibition during the San Diego Latin Film Festival. Ipsan adds that he is currently planning two more possible exhibitions in Israel and Russia, which fits right into his plan to reach a global audience.
“The value is greatest is when you’re impacting a lot of people.”
Ipsan says he started photographing at the age of eight, shortly after he and his family were essentially forced out of their home, out of their lives, in Cuba – leaving nearly all their belongings behind.
“What we were able to bring with us was our photographs and that left an impacting memory on me… So there was additional value placed on photographs because it maintained a reflection of who we were and it actually made our families stronger by being able to speak about those photographs almost as they were a fourth or fifth family member.”
Ipsan says he clearly remembers the moment when, what would become a lifelong passion, truly sprouted:
“I was in the playground with my grandmother’s camera. I took a photo of a child. His mother was there and asked if I would photograph the kid and she would pay me. And sure enough she did pay me five dollars the following week… and it made me feel valuable, as a valuable contributor.”
Ipsan asserts that it is such a close-knit relationship with others that truly sparks creation.
“It’s the support of the artistic community that creates the artist.”
And that is one of two defining reasons why Ipsan is establishing a new foundation, the Artes Arts Foundation.
“Not only is it selfishly created to keep my work alive in the event of my passing… but also to look for and support growing artists in the communities. We’re looking for artists here in Guatemala as well as we’re looking for artists in other areas.” Ipsan explains that the foundation is meant to bridge emerging artists, particularly non-English speaking Latin American artists, with the predominantly English-speaking art community within the United States.
This trip to Guatemala represents Ipsan’s sixth visit to the country – a country for which he expresses much affection.
“There’s a passion and a love here that I have not found in my travels and I’ve traveled extensively around the world.”
La Antigua Guatemala, he says, is a perfect fit for him:
“The art community is thriving. In every block it seems like there’s a new art shop opening up. There’s a big commitment here to the culture of the past and to keeping the past alive.”
Reasons enough for him to seriously consider moving here. He and his Guatemalan girlfriend are seriously scoping out a way to become more of a presence within the La Antigua community. Already, Ipsan’s sentiment for the city and the country is quite patriotic:
“When I say viva Guatemala, I say viva to the people, I say viva to the artists, I say viva to the people that support the artists and I say viva to this beautiful heritage and culture that makes us all very proud to be here.”
Should his consideration to reside here on a more permanent basis come to fruition, I think it is safe to say the Antigua Guatemala community will welcome Ipsan and his impressive work just as warmly as the curators of September’s Foto 30 celebration.
In our interview, Ipsan shared much more about his inspiration for photography and how it has been influenced by his life philosophy. Listen to ArteAntigua’s interview with Ipsan:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Popularity: 16% [?]
[...] art and I’m really looking forward to our interview. So, in the coming weeks, be sure to look for my interview with him on [...]