For this Monday night, I pass the mic to Hot Shot Sasha Rudensky.
Current place of residence?
I split my time between brooklyn where I’ve been living for the last 5 years and new haven, ct where I go to school.
Birthplace? Where were you raised?
I was born in moscow, russia and lived there till I was 11. When my family moved the states we briefly lived in new haven, then moved to seattle.
Your age?
27
What do you do to pay the bills?
Now that I’m at school I live in debt, but beforehand I was mostly teaching photography at wesleyan university in middletown, ct.
What initiated your committed romance with photography?
We had a pretty good photography program at my high school and my boyfriend at the time was very into it and he’s the one that gave me my first camera. And after that it just happened on its own. At a number of points in my life I was thinking it was time to do something a little more stable and lucrative, but just couldn’t bring myself to stop taking pictures.
What artists inspire you––whether they be photographers, musicians, politicians, painters, or the like?
I’ve had a lot of influences - very early on while still living in russia my parents would drag me and my brothers to museums - I was in love with northern renaissance painting - van der weyden, van eyck, cranach. Though I didn’t realize it at the time, I think that’s what originally got me thinking about the function of color in art making. i also grew up reading a lot of poetry - axmatova, mandelstam, brodsky. The latter was especially influential in trying to wrap my brain around living abroad, while creatively being connected to the place where one was born. And of course there were photographic heros - koudelka, stephen shore, joel sternfeld.
What do you like most about being a “photographer”?
I like not being confined to a studio, I like being in the world, I like the pressure of having to actually meet and engage people when I’m with my camera
What formal training, if any, do you have?
Majored in studio art in college, though I went to a liberal arts school and we only had two photo classes - black and white photo 1 and 2. Now I’m making up for it at grad school when we have more brutal crits than any sane person can take.
What camera do you use?
For years I used a Konica Hexar, a tiny silent rangefinder, which I still adore. When I started shooting color I bought a Mamiya 7 and now primarily shoot with that. Recently I became interested in portraiture and have been borrowing the RZ from a friend, it’s a bit clunky for me though and I might switch to something else.
What piece of equipment do you fetishize the most and/or what is your guiltiest tech pleasure?
I never think about equipment - I know very little about it and only use what I have or can get access to for free.
What do you find to be the biggest cliche in photography these days?
Sullen portraits of upper-middle class young people staring at the camera
What are your loftiest goals?
I suppose sustaining myself as a gallery artist - though I will always want to teach as well
Do you have any other creative talents?
I’m a good arm-wrestler.
What are the top three movies on your queue?
I recently saw a Melville film called Army of Shadows, which was absolutely amazing and have been trying to get my hands on it ever since. There is also a devastating Russian film called Ascent by Larisa Shepitko which appeals to my tragic side. Of recent stuff I loved Cronenberg’s History of Violence.
What book connects with your life the most?
Do I dare say it? I guess Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.
Who are your favorite musicians? Do you have an anthem?
Musically I’m very torn - I listen to Sonic Youth, Stereolab, Pavement, but I also love old country - Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams. And Shostakovich makes me cry.
If you were on a deserted island and could only take one luxury, what would it be?
My husband.
Any pets?
My four pet fish died recently.
