591 Exhibition: Julie Bindas-Sanchez - In Search of Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors

When I was putting this online exhibition together I was struck by the evocative nature and the tremendous visual strength in these pictures by Julie Bindas-Sanchez. Her work draws you in to a world of dreamlike appearances and rituals. The way she uses photography to express things that goes beyond the apparent material world reminds me of some of the great photographers of the Helsinki school. - Mr Urbano

I am inspired by folktales, fairytales, superstitions, and rituals from Eastern Europe –especially the borderlands near the Carpathian Mountains of Ukraine and Slovakia where my own ancestors are from. These ideas passed down through generations originated from pagan times and I am fascinated by the way traditions are passed down through the ages and how we are influenced by our ancestors.

The connection to trees and water, and the belief that they contain spirits of their own greatly influenced this work. I am intrigued by the way ancient Eastern European peoples saw time as a cycle that repeats itself and the way that is reflected in their concepts about life and death. I am interested in the processes of transformation that the characters go through and how they mimic nature itself in this way. Characters live, die, and are reborn; the day changes from morning to night back to morning.

I want to shed light on these in-between moments by capturing them at the moment of change, showing the process of metamorphosis, depicting a character between the worlds of the living and the dead, or illustrating the moment after they get a glimpse of the future.  I try to illuminate the magic and mystery that are particular to these stories and beliefs.

Julie Bindas-Sanchez
Born: 1982
Lives in: New Jersey, USA
Inspiration (photographers): Loretta Lux,Matthew Barney,Helen Van Meene.......
Inspiration (other): Fairytales, Folktales, history...
Film, digital or both: Both
Quote: Time makes you stranger....
Website:juliebindas.com

Photos, text © Julie Bindas-Sanchez

Comments

Unknown said…
these images are beautiful and haunting
Brenda said…
I think these pictures are beautiful and very unique. I have not seen pictures as imaginative as these!