With the new social distancing measures during the second extended lockdown, the idea of meeting a stranger is pretty much a contradiction. But how come the urge for social interactions is so great right now? Is it the season, is it the allure of something forbidden, or a simple case of “you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone”?
Visual artist Tanya Sharapova decided to explore this idea in reaction to the second lockdown which turned out to be such a strange and trying time. The first lockdown has already prompted a slew of artists to come out with wonderful photo sets such as the window photos of Lovis Ostenrik, the day / night outfits of Kseniya Apresyan, the nude social distancing portrait of Aja Jacques and the Together A series Part by AnaHell and Nathalie Dreier. But the second lockdown was quieter in terms of creative output – even for ourselves. So we’re happy to be able to share Tanya’s “Strangers” series here with you.
The lack of social interactions has given him time to face his own fears – one of which is his fear of approaching strangers for portraits here in Berlin. She has noticed that it is much more difficult here compared to Russia, the Himalayas or Southeast Asia where she worked as a travel and portrait photographer for National Geographic and Conde Nast Traveler before. I can totally relate to this from my time as a party photographer in the early days of iHeartBerlin. There is such a big difference between Berliners, who really don’t like to be photographed, and practically any other place in the world, where people have even asked me to photograph them. In Berlin, people are so skeptical about photos, I can totally understand that Tanya feels uncomfortable, uncomfortable and shy to approach them. So much the better for her, that the second lockdown has become an opportunity to challenge this.
Since November, she has been scouring the city looking for strangers who catch her attention – some days with better luck than others. Over time, the original idea of developing the courage to approach people has transformed by capturing the diversity of characters that one finds in Berlin with his camera. “Basically I’m looking for a reflection of myself in all of these stranger faces and it’s really interesting to watch who I choose to photograph,” she says. “This project has turned out to be the perfect tool to tackle the gray winter boredom and find things to do when the possibilities to work as a photographer are quite limited.
The photos she’s posted on her Instagram so far are fantastic and the Berliners she finds are amazing. As the analog film that she uses and that printing is quite expensive, she has started a small fundraiser to support the continuation of the project. If you like her job, it would be great if you consider supporting her!
Below is a selection from her ongoing portrait series with some comments from her or quotes from each stranger. Enjoy!
Day 14.
Luca.
“I deleted Instagram from my phone. I felt it was too much.
Day 4.
Kiki.
“I have had dogs of the same breed for 50 years. This is the seventh.
Day 3.
Rosalie.
I met Rosie not far from Mehringdamm U-Bann station, she was sitting on a bench with a guy. I cycled past, we met stares, and turned the bike around to ask him questions in the photo. There was something really touching about this girl.
Later, she will say to me: “I cried five minutes ago before you brought me near the photo.”
Day 2.
Ibrahim.
“I can connect people. I have lived here for 7 years and know a lot of different people, who probably need each other ”.
Day 28.
Sabina.
“Don’t people in Russia go to churches?”
Day 26.
Tommy.
“Monday, I will go to Portugal, to spend a winter there.”
Day 24.
Harman Sidhu.
“Did you go to the Golden Temple?”
Day 23.
Steve.
“You don’t need to fly to the moon. It’s not made of cheese.
Day 22.
Em.
“We were dancing.”
Day 21.
Milena.
“There is no one there”.
Day 48.
Franc.
“I have pussies on my hands.”
Day 33.
I do.
“I am too old.”
Day 46.
Chris.
I met Chris on my way to the photo lab. He was juggling at the intersection of Tempelhofer Ufer and Mehringdamm. My English, German or Russian languages didn’t work. Chris spoke only Spanish. But he knew how to use Google Translate very well. The only thing I managed to find out was that he came to Berlin 10 days ago.
Day 16.
Rebecca.
“May I take a picture of you?”
Day 43.
Aaron.
“She would have played better without her jacket.”
Day 12.
Bayo.
“The Mississippi River begins a 40-minute drive from my home.”
Day 11.
Nameless.
“Kein Englisch, ich bin Türke. Ich verstehe Ihr Deutsch, alles gut. (No English, I’m Turkish. I understand your German, that’s fine.)
This Turkish woman and this place fit together perfectly, but she didn’t want the portrait done. We have found a compromise.
Day 10.
Ursula.
“I live in Wilmersdorf. During the second lockdown, I decided to explore the parks of Berlin. About Hasenheide, I knew it was a party place. My son said to me, “You should be careful. There they could sell you hash. ”
Day 38.
Leonie.
“I make movies, mostly dark movies.”
Day 35.
Hugh and Ewald.
That day, I had a hangover. I left my seat two hours before the light went out. Cycling around Kreuzberg. I did not find any interesting faces to photograph. So I chose a street and started to cycle there like a squirrel in a wheel, back and forth. It seemed like it could work that way. And then this white fur hat appeared. And two beers with both hands. To my tired head, they looked like salvation. I crossed the street feeling a righteous decay. The two looked like real characters. The boys had arrived in Berlin from the small German town of Weimar a few days earlier. The One in the White Hat sold his sculpture for a movie scene that was shot here in Berlin. Receiving 600 euros for the artwork seemed great to his friend in the glasses, he was delighted.
“And how did you manage to sell your sculpture to be part of a movie?” I asked.
“I once drew six portraits in six months and offered all of these portraits. One of the portraits was found in a Berlin apartment. Someone noticed it and said – I want this guy to make a sculpture for our movie. “
Day 40.
Georg.
Georg was my personal Santa Claus. One day I thought that in order to study German better, I really needed an old-fashioned paper dictionary. And the next day, he gave it to me. I just opened her bag, asking in German – maybe you need this book? I thought it would be something about a Christian mission, which he came to meet with at Brandenburger Tor. But no. Wirklich, ich brauche dies Buch!
For more portraits from the ongoing series, check out Tanya’s Instagram.
Diesen Artikel auf deutsch lesen.
by Franc
January 8, 2021
in Art, Photos