Miyuki (1 of 2) by Summer '07 contender Mimi Ko
On a quiet, overcast morning in L.A., I can't bring myself to get out of bed. I roll around aimlessly, kicking the objects I've left by my feet on the bed: a boxed candle, a play I bought at the flea market, this week's New York Times Magazine. My sheer, red curtains all of a sudden bring to mind the above photo by contender Mimi Ko, which I must have seen sometime last night before going to bed.
What I love about Ko's images is that they're all so quiet--kind of like the sound of music playing so low you don't know where its coming from. She submitted pictures from an ongoing series of portraits taken of women in bed. Her women never come across as tired or world-weary, which is what I sometimes think of about "the bed", but rather come off as sophisticated, playful, and dreamlike. They all look off into the distance, their eyes focused on nothing in particular, but their concentration is there--soft and focused. I really want these photos to be accompanied by an Air song, maybe Cherry Blossom Girl... Of the series, Ko says:
It is in bed that we have our most intimate moments, and where we allow ourselves to dwell on our most intimate thoughts. It is there that presence and absence are most keenly felt. My intention is to explore this in-between space we occupy, between waking and dreaming, of subtle moods and fleeting emotions.
On her lovely, simple website, Ko also offers a brief glimpse into her portfolio. I also really like this yellow phone image from "I Remember You", and this discarded prom dress from "Residue".
Ko, like her photos, is soft and quiet--at least in terms of her biography. The following is all I know about the photographer:
She was born in Hong Kong.
She received a B.A. in Economics from Wellesley College and a B.F.A. in Photography from the Art Center College of Design.
She currently lives in New York.
How mysterious!
Don't leave your work a mystery. Submit it to the Summer edition of Hey, Hot Shot!
1 Comment
I have been admiring the work of the various artists shown here for several years now. I must say that some of these artists have the eye of a geniuses. I personally have been shooting photography since childhood which began as a hobbie. It has allowed me to travel the world, to see the places that only some dream of seeing while others take the challenge of life to see it for themselves. I hope that if my site is found to be worthy of being linked to that the visitors find my work to be as worthwhile. Keep up the beautiful work people, capturing life one shot at a time.
Christopher McCrary
CDM Photography & Design