I’ve always wanted to interview her; she is a NC/Los Angeles native that walks on the soil of the Atlanta introducing Carla Aaron Lopez. A photographer, an artist, and an intellectual soul, with the success of her art showcase “My (black) American Life” at the City of Ink. It was an art show that featured photos centered on her life the people of color she comes across in her life.

via: artrelish.com
How old were you when you first picked up the camera?
I was 20 years old. I was copying this classmate I had at North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC. I wanted to be better than him. My beginning reasons were shallow. It got me eventually and now I’m a control freak of a photographer.

Is there anyone, in particular, that you want as a subject to photograph?
Normal, day-to-day black people. People that have no interest in fame or celebrity, I get that notion from my family. They’re hard-working people and they ultimately have the best stories to tell.

When was your first art showing or art show? What were your emotions and thoughts both before and after the event?
My first art show was a series of self-portraits in 2005 in Durham. I was excited and afterward, I was happy that it was over. My official art show was this past year at City of Ink. It was a collection of African-American portraits called My (black) American Life. The people in the show were various characters ranging from preachers to burlesque dancers. They were all normal, day-to-day folks that love their jobs, lives and being black. Nothing negative, just a cool vibe. My family was there and that was the icing on the cake.

Do elements of your surroundings influence your work?
Yes.

There is a photo that you took that contained a black man stabbing a piece of fried chicken. What inspired you to do so and what thoughts went through your mind as you set up the picture?
I didn’t set that picture up. I know people find it hard to believe sometimes but not every photograph you see is a set up by the artists’ hand. It was Christmas and I was celebrating with my friends. One of them stabbed the chicken and the other was sitting behind the chicken you see today. The image resonated with me to actually take the picture.

Who is your favorite author?
I have many. Dr. Cornel West, bell hooks, Audre Lorde, Edward Said, Kahlil Gibran, Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, Noam Chomsky, Allen Ginsberg and Malcolm X. Son. I got mad knowledge. Ha! (My classmate is laughing at me right now).

Is there a “Carla Aaron-Lopez photography book” in the future?
There will be one eventually. I’m only gathering images for right now. I hope to continue to successfully capture black people the way I see them.

Lastly, is there anything you would like to say/ shout out/ scream out to the people reading this interview?
Yes. Get off the Internet and go outside. Remember, outside? The sunlight, the people, life in general? The less you stay connected to the Internet, the better you’ll feel in the morning. It’s all right to take a break. It’s all right to make mistakes. I make them, too. It’s all right to be you.

For more information about Carla check out her site http://www.whoiscarla.com

This entry was posted on Monday, May 11th, 2009 at 10:30 am and is filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.