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Cuba Art New York
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Silvia Lizama

Our daily lives are full of stress, anxiety and pressure. There's never enough time to do the things we must do, much less time to do the things we would like to do. How often do we take a moment, to really look around, to see what's in front of us, to see what's in the shadows; to see the special treasures, the odd adventure. Sometimes I do take the time. Sometimes I push everything else away and just look. Sometimes I'm even lucky enough to have my camera with me.

Finding something magical, something that changes the way I see life, something worth photographing, is like finding a treasure. When I was young I always looked down as I walked. I expected to see something new, to find something special. I find I still have a lot in common with that hopeful child. Fortunately, I found that my camera was a way into other worlds; into smaller, more precious and unusual places.

I like to photograph man made spaces while they are undergoing change, while they're being renovated, demolished or altered by natural disaster. Part of the excitement is in catching the moment before it is complete. No one else will see that space the same way. Traditional images of beauty, “Kodak Picture Spots”, if you will, hold no interest for me. I want to see more than that. I want to be engaged, mystified, challenged. I want to see signs of something more, something better, something new.

I photographed the images for this show in black and white using a medium format camera. After the images were printed, I altered them with photographic oils. The carefully applied coloring adds to the fictional quality and hopefully makes real the world I witness.

Our lives continue to be difficult, pressures increase and deadlines continue to exist. I do, however, feel unusually lucky to be able to stop and look and photograph these incredible places in all of their horrible and wonderful splendor.

Silvia Lizama

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