Iliknur Hidaetova
Copenhagen, Denmark
I love showing another side of the people I photograph, one that they strive to achieve or transform into on certain rare occasions. At the same time prove that every and each one of us can be the hero or role model we secretly admire.
I've always had a fascination for history and art, be it in the form of movies, music or paintings. They made me feel almost nostalgic for a period of time I have never experienced. The way they depicted different subjects reflecting the socio-cultural events of these time periods seemed intriguing and full of mystery. They have made me question what it would be like living in that time period, what it would feel like, and whether I would have the same fascination?
Thus, I knew that I wanted to create images that make viewers ask the same questions and have an elegant and timeless yet emotive feel to them, in other words creating photographs that are reminiscent of paintings rich in symbolism and meaning. In order to achieve this I tend to spend reasonable time in pre-production that involves research, creating costumes, set design, and sometimes lengthy post-production. I do believe that our current reality can be reinterpreted by enriching it with layers of the 'old' lens and thus find a unique voice.