Dylan Rowen
This talented writer and ace photographer produces sunlit and romantic shots that recall scenes from Sofia Coppola’s dreamy films. In our latest spotlight, Dylan Rowen enthusiastically talks about his favourite artists and photography theory.
Q: Hello Dylan! Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?
A: Hello! I’m a second year Arts student at The University of Adelaide with a major in English and Creative Writing and a minor in Modern History! I’m a voracious reader and have a special soft spot for art history, writing, and Twin Peaks.
Q: Who inspires you? What inspires your art?
A: Words, people, thoughts, ideas, expressions!
Q: Do you have a preferred medium?
A: Definitely photography! I’ve experimented with all sorts of mediums throughout high school, a particular favourite being ink, but couldn’t really find that “niche” that was comfortable to me as an artist, you know? I found myself more at ease looking through a lens. I’ve been reading a heap of photography theory at the moment, namely Sontag, Bourdieu and Barthes. Their ideas on looking versus the active participant of the gaze within a photograph itself is terrifyingly interesting! I, myself, hate being photographed.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Rich, lush, warm, inviting, magically realistic.
Q: Can you please describe your artistic and creative process i.e.: from lingering idea to putting it into practice?
A: I guess I see something from an angle and, if I have my film camera on me and the timing is good, I’d capture that moment (hoping that I set my ISO to the right amount etc.), otherwise I would use my old digital camera to take a rough visual note and possibly explore next time. Photography is almost like a weapon, and how we use it to illuminate people and areas and ideas that haven’t been looked at in a certain way is in incredibly powerful approach. I try to find that own little crevice in the world to bring to light in every instance of my oeuvre.
Q: Where do you see your art practice taking you in the next five years?
A: I don’t see a career out of my art anytime soon, but I can definitely see my involvement in the arts as a way to meet so many lovely and talented artists, who can inspire me further!
Q: If you could recommend one artist, who would it be?
A: Photographically, Igor Pjörtt! His photographs are on a level I admire aesthetically and wish to emulate, and he’s my age too! In painting, my first favourite artist would always be Henri Matisse. His use of colour? Incredible! I love blocks and slabs of colour.
Some other artists I heavily admire and just have to mention:
Q: What is your favourite gallery?
A: Probably the Fontanelle, followed closely by The Australian Experimental Arts Foundation! They curate some really neat and innovative stuff by unrecognised and sometimes commercially famous South Australian artists. It’s always so lovely to see other Adelaidians pursue the arts and to such success!
Q: Where can we find more of your work?
A: Follow me on Instagram!
Q: If you could cast anyone to play you in a film about your life, who would it be?
A: Probably Ben Whishaw! I’m a fan of his period dramas and love seeing him crop up in random English movies, he’s so me!
– Masya Zabidi
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