Working in a parallel world - Maciek Jasik

7 days, 7 images on the World Photography Organisation Instagram feed

Born in Gdansk, Poland, Maciek Jasik talks of "seeking to understand society's relationship with the natural world and explore ideas of identity, gender and the self while working in a parallel world of endless color and bewildering physical phenomena." His clients include: IDEO, Adweek, Newsweek, The New York Times, GQ, WIRED US+UK, New York Magazine, Refinery29, Variety, V, Interview, Fast Company, Bloomberg Businessweek, Mother Jones, Huffington Post and The New Republic, among others. 

We spoke to him after his week on @worldphotorg: 
 

Why photography? 

I began with photography as a way of documenting what I saw while in Japan. But it evolved into a way of exploring ideas. 

Tell us more about 'A Thousand Souls'. How did the series come about? 

I was in London in 2009 at the National Gallery. I was deeply affected by several post-Impressionist paintings I saw there. I was impressed by how much they could convey with just a few strokes and bright colors. I wanted to create photography that could work in the same way, without relying on detail. I wanted to convey emotionality, not physicality. As the project developed, I saw it as a way of exploring our Western society's approach, bias and prejudice toward gender. What do we expect from each other? 

 

 

This week on #WPOfavs we feature @mjasik and his series 'A Thousand Souls'. "The idea of the single soul is the basis of Western religion and society. It is the source of our individuality and our desire. We can instead conceive of the soul as a composite of thousands of disparate souls, extracted by circumstance and reaction. This series seeks to shed light on this great expanse within us, beyond what we aim and hope to be seen as, and into the far reaches of our psyche, dark corners unknown to us until the very moment they emerge." Photo: Jacki

A photo posted by World Photography Organisation (@worldphotoorg) on Sep 25, 2016 at 1:18am PDT

 

 

This week on #WPOfavs we feature @mjasik and his series 'A Thousand Souls'. "The idea of the single soul is the basis of Western religion and society. It is the source of our individuality and our desire. We can instead conceive of the soul as a composite of thousands of disparate souls, extracted by circumstance and reaction. This series seeks to shed light on this great expanse within us, beyond what we aim and hope to be seen as, and into the far reaches of our psyche, dark corners unknown to us until the very moment they emerge." Photo: Meredith

A photo posted by World Photography Organisation (@worldphotoorg) on Sep 24, 2016 at 1:22am PDT

 

You have quite a unique aesthetic and utilise colour a lot in the work. How important do you think style is in photography, and with your own work in particular?  

Style should be an extension of your mentality. Style should bring the viewer into your world, your perspective. The two should be intertwined.  Color is very emotional to me. It's a powerful weapon to use in making images. 

Oftentimes, style is just ostentatious or reactionary. It's completely superficial. It's 'slick' for the commercial world, and the reverse, 'raw' for the art world. The two are bleeding into each other currently. 

Do you have a photographic philosophy?

Don't stop experimenting. Keep trying new things. 

Where in the world are you and what's next for you?

I'm in New York City currently. I'll be in Dubai then Namibia in the next six months.

 

 

This week on #WPOfavs we feature @mjasik and his series 'A Thousand Souls'. "The idea of the single soul is the basis of Western religion and society. It is the source of our individuality and our desire. We can instead conceive of the soul as a composite of thousands of disparate souls, extracted by circumstance and reaction. This series seeks to shed light on this great expanse within us, beyond what we aim and hope to be seen as, and into the far reaches of our psyche, dark corners unknown to us until the very moment they emerge." Photo: Michael

A photo posted by World Photography Organisation (@worldphotoorg) on Sep 23, 2016 at 1:51am PDT

 

 

This week on #WPOfavs we feature @mjasik and his series 'A Thousand Souls'. "The idea of the single soul is the basis of Western religion and society. It is the source of our individuality and our desire. We can instead conceive of the soul as a composite of thousands of disparate souls, extracted by circumstance and reaction. This series seeks to shed light on this great expanse within us, beyond what we aim and hope to be seen as, and into the far reaches of our psyche, dark corners unknown to us until the very moment they emerge." Photo: Vasu

A photo posted by World Photography Organisation (@worldphotoorg) on Sep 22, 2016 at 2:01am PDT

 

 

This week on WPOfavs we feature @mjasik and his series 'A Thousand Souls'. "The idea of the single soul is the basis of Western religion and society. It is the source of our individuality and our desire. We can instead conceive of the soul as a composite of thousands of disparate souls, extracted by circumstance and reaction. This series seeks to shed light on this great expanse within us, beyond what we aim and hope to be seen as, and into the far reaches of our psyche, dark corners unknown to us until the very moment they emerge." Photo: Jason

A photo posted by World Photography Organisation (@worldphotoorg) on Sep 21, 2016 at 12:42am PDT

 

maciekjasik.com
instagram.com/worldphotoorg