Tanya
Kottler

Projects

Tanya Kottler – Behind Closed Doors

PHOTOGRAPHY

Tanya Kottler – Behind Closed Doors

by Tanya Kottler

« In the 1960’s, an American created a viewing platform in his motel in order to observe his guests in their rooms, invading what is deemed of private nature.  Using this as a starting point, the motel room enabled me to create a vacant space that belongs to no one. I was thus able to imagine characters and scenes in a place that I fully reconstructed myself. Mundane actions of people coming and going with nothing ever happening, yet still offering a glimpse into their lives, spark curiosity about what can occur behind closed doors.  While looking at my pictures, the viewer evolves into a voyeur. »

The Embarrassment Show

PHOTOGRAPHY

The Embarrassment Show

with Milo Keller, Erik Kessels

After ECAL in June 2015 and Unseen Photo Fair Amsterdam in September 2015, ECAL Bachelor Photography students present "The Embarrassment Show", an exhibition curated by Erik Kessels, cofounder & creative director of KesselsKramer (Amsterdam), at the  NRW-Forum Düsseldorf  from 20 November to 10 January. --------- The Embarrassment Show A workshop and exhibition curated by Erik Kessels cofounder & creative director KesselsKramer (Amsterdam), with Bachelor Photography students. “Embarrassment is important. If you’re not willing to humiliate yourself, make mistakes and downright fuck up, you should consider working in a cubicle farm. It’s safer there. Because as a creative person, you’ll be called an idiot at least once a day. That’s okay. Making mistakes and risking embarrassment, even failure, is how you make progress. Without it, you’ll be stuck in the same old safe zone: not embarrassed, but not better either. In other words: boring. So if we want to do this thing we love – making stuff – we mustn’t be afraid of looking stupid. In this workshop and exhibition I stretched the abilities of 2nd year ECAL Bachelor Photography students to the limit. By embarrassing themselves they are able to tell a personal, often awkward and risky story. This gives them an opportunity to explore an area of photography which they would probably not have dared to touch.”  Erik Kessels