Sinziana Velicescu
Clean, bright, and simply beautiful are some of the words that come to mind while describing Sinziana Velicescu’s photography.
We discovered her photography while visiting the Man Made group show at Brand Library & Art Center in Glendale, California last year. We were captivated and immediately started following her on Instagram. Her photography explores the human intervention with nature in landscapes that have undergone political, social, or environmental change. We asked her about her journey, how she finds her landscapes to capture and about her latest book.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m a Los Angeles based (born and raised) photographer / filmmaker. I’m 1st generation born to Romanian parents.
How did you become a photographer?
I have been doing photography as a hobby since I was 18 but more seriously since I was 21. My current 9-5 involves producing, curating, and programming art content for large scale media facades. I try to go out and photograph every weekend and sometimes on lunch breaks.
How do you find such great minimal compositions in your photography that most people overlook in everyday life?
I’m a very aesthetic person – I care about visuals to a degree that might be compromising in other ways but it works great for my work, which is very minimal. I’m also looking to portray an alternate reality to the busy, cluttered Los Angeles that I’ve always grown up in.
In correlation with the last question, you recently released a new book title, On The Periphery. Why did you create it? Where can we purchase it?
I had been working and sitting on this series about Los Angeles for the last three years and it felt like the right time to give it some closure and put it to print. It was a simultaneously exhilarating and nerve-wracking process as I had to select all of the book materials and did not get to see the final product until it was already completed. I’m very pleased with the result, however, and proud of all the work that was put into getting it made.
You can purchase the book online through Aint-Bad (USA)or Antenne Books (Europe). Los Angeles residents can get it at Hennessey + Ingalls or Arcana Books.
If you could take six months off to work on your photography, where would it be?
I would love to road trip across the country and live out of my car and cheap motels. I’ve done quite a bit of California and Arizona but would love to explore Utah, Idaho, Texas, New Mexico… and then go from there. I could spend endless amounts of time in the United States and I think it’s important for me to do so since I both understand and am constantly learning about American culture and I enjoy getting to know a place very well while photographing it.
“I also love the concept of wandering and not having a destination or time limit, essentially getting lost and finding magic along the way.”
Do you have a ritual, quote, or affirmation that keeps you motivated with your photography?
Photography is meditative for me in that it that helps me cope with an otherwise extremely stressful lifestyle bound by deadlines and traffic. I also love the concept of wandering and not having a destination or time limit, essentially getting lost and finding magic along the way.
Interview by Diane Lindquist