A graduate of the Zduńska Wola School of Art in Poland, Dariusz Klimczak has worked as a journalist, painter and aphorist, focusing for the past 25 years on photography and surreal photomontage. Dariusz Klimczak possesses amazing creativity, his compositions confront the viewer with black and white introspective visual stories reminiscent of Dali and the Surrealist movement. His aim is to transport viewers into a boundless imaginative world, to awaken and make them think, populating empty expanses, deserts and plains with bizarre characters and objects that tell their story in revealing square compositions.
Hello, Dariusz,
First of all, I would like to thank you for taking the time to tell us about you and your work in this interview.
To begin, where are you from? Please tell us about yourself and your passions.
I come from Sieradz, a city with a population of 50,000 in central Poland, one of the oldest in the country. I have been interested in art from an early age, I was educated in this field, against the will of my parents (they both wanted me to get a "useful" profession). I do not have any artistic traditions in my family, although my grandfather was a blacksmith and my mother's brother was the main artist in a large enterprise.
I have many passions - I am addicted to listening to music, recording my own compositions, playing drums, and getting ready to write a book.
In the past, you have worked as a journalist, painter and aphorist. What made you choose photography? How did this journey start?
I've been a painter the longest. For many years I made a living by painting pictures, but I felt unfulfilled, and I also earned little money :) I wrote aphorisms as a hobby, so far there were so many of them that I have published two books. I decided to use my painting experience and transfer it to a computer. This is how I took up digital photo processing. My goal was to create an illusion, a world based on my rules, but unreal.
What is your artistic journey, techniques, and theme that you have experimented with so far?
I started my adventure with photography almost 40 years ago. Analogically, on black and white film. Since I have a computer, I have been working in Photoshop. I did my first experiments with photos under an enlarger. Then I used 6x6cm cages, hence probably my sentiment to the square. I've been sticking to this format for many years.
Please share with us what photographic equipment you use. What is the process of creation of your works?
My first digital SLR was the Canon EOS 300D. Since then, I have been faithful to this brand, now I work with the Canon 5D Mark III. For my needs, two lenses are enough for me: a portrait 50mm 1.4 and a 24-105 kit with 2.8 light.
I work with layers. I cut out the elements with precision and use them to tell a story. I use simple, understandable symbols everywhere: man, tree, door, etc. Sometimes I distort the proportions, make small things big, or vice versa. I appreciate simplicity and classic composition.
Most of my compositions "happen" in the landscape. I am looking for interesting structures, I adjust the sky to them, I emphasize similarities or contrasts.
In 2005 you won the Grand Prize of the 7th Aphoristic Competition at Nowy Targ. What can you tell us about this event and how did your passion for aphorisms influence your photographic vision?
An aphorism requires simplicity, brevity, originality and humor. I have been playing with words for a long time, I treat language as a tool (Polish in this respect is great, rich, and ambiguous). I tried to transfer these principles to photography.
As a main feature that connect most of your works, the characters and objects seem to have just found their balance and stopped time in place, hypnotizing the viewer and drawing them to watch the whole scene. Where do you find the inspiration for your visual stories and what do you want to convey through your work?
I admit that I am looking for harmony. I find my inspiration most often in nature - an interesting rhythm in the sand is enough to move my imagination. I do not like to frighten, but rather to make the viewer laugh or to make him stop and reflect for a moment.
The breakthrough in my work came when a series of people on stilts was created. I was with my family at a theater festival, where they performed, among others stilt walkers. When I was looking through the photos from the trip, I suddenly thought: What if these people on stilts were cut out of their natural surroundings and put in some other, absurd place? In this way, the series "Frimagination" was created, consisting of nearly 50 works, most often set on shifting dunes by the Polish seaside. Many of these compositions have been awarded prizes, with prints hanging in homes and offices all over the world.
Please share with us your favorite photographers you admire and how did they influence your photographic journey?
Photography is learning to look. I appreciate those photographers who were able to do it in an original way and with taste. I love Henri Cartier-Bresson for his reflexes and brilliance. The Ritts coat shows women beautifully. As for the new digital ones, I really appreciate David Dubnitskiy, Michał Karcz, and Volker Birke. There are many great artists that I could go on forever. However, I remember not to imitate anyone, but to work on my own, recognizable style.
Your work are characterized by an unlimited imagination, reminiscent of elements and symbols present in the Surrealist movement. What is the mission of your art and what are the aspects that differentiate you from others?
I do not have a mission, if I want to cheer people up in an aesthetic form :) I do not look with envy at the achievements of others, I enjoy their successes and continue to do my job. I am constantly searching, using new motifs, experimenting with technique. Developing your own style is essential. When the recipient sees in the thumbnail that it's your photo, the goal is achieved.
Which of your own photographs do you prefer and why? Please tell us the story behind it.
I really like the series with stilts, which I mentioned earlier, but I don't think I have a favorite photo. If I had to choose, maybe it would be the first work of this series, "Acrobats". 10 years ago, she won the Photo of the Year title on the www.pixoto.com portal.
How do you see the future of photography?
The possibilities are endless. The development of digital photography is expanding exponentially. Another moment, and "full frame" will be on the phones. More and more creators use modern technology, trying to explore new territories. I'm not worried about that, human ingenuity knows no bounds. On the other hand, there are masses of photographers disappointed with digital, "soulless" photos - they are returning to analogs, old cameras and techniques. There will be a place for everyone.
Recently, a new topic has come up: art generated by artificial intelligence, based on keywords selected by man. For now, I am looking at it, most of the works look like Beksiński's paintings :) But there are also examples of great works. We'll wait and see.
How do you imagine the evolution of your artistic work and your figure as an artist in the future?
I don't think about it very often. I am glad that the joy of creating does not leave me. The problem is not the technique, but the lack of ideas. If they are not enough, my knowledge of photoshop will be of little use. But - for now - I'm not complaining. :)