Rina Shapira - from Illuminated
Illuminated
When night falls, the world disappears into darkness. We see what is out there only when light illuminateswhat’s in the dark. Rina Shapira’s series, Illuminated,captures what light paints back on the black canvas of night, reassuringlyletting us know that the world is still there.
Bio
I was born in Hungary to Holocaust survivors, grew up in Israel, and have been
living in the Los Angeles for more than half my life. My sensibilities, in things
every-day or artistic, are a composite of a good measure of sweet Hungarian
paprika, a dash of Israeli chuzpah, and a healthy dose of American political
correctness.
I earned a graduate degree in linguistics from UCLA, focusing on the study of
the abstract, universal elements of language which single out humans as the
speaking species. Being too esoteric to make a living, I took a random, yet
available, job in advertising. It turned into my professional career as Media
Director, and lasted over 2 decades. I lived my life raising 3 boys, working long
hours, and spending weekends at swim meets and soccer games, and summer
vacations camping and backpacking. I retired early, in search of a deeper
meaning for my life, which I found at the Museum of Tolerance as a docent and
an educational facilitator. With more time for play, I traded my analog camera for
a digital point and shoot, and attempted to revive an old flame.
The camera was my on again off again companion since my early teens. I was
the designated documentarian of my youth group, my friends, and later my
family. My inspiration came from photographers such as Ansel Adams, Edward
Weston, and Galen Rowell.
I turned a corner in my photographic vision when I saw the works of Eddie
Soloway. It changed the way I saw the environment around me. I upgraded
my digital camera, and went out to the world with new eyes and a new lens.
The reactions of my family and friends to the resulting images convinced me to
pursue photography seriously.
Artist Statement
Most of my photographic work comes from the natural world. Some portray urban
imagery, echoing my work in nature.
Being in nature brings about an entire transformation of my consciousness. It
means leaving the city and my ego behind, to venture into a space that puts
me back into my proper place in the food chain. There, I am but one among
the chipmunks and the bears, visiting their world with respect and awe. I get to
be a speck in the landscape in a world that existed before me and will remain
unchanged after I am gone. I feel at once tiny and insignificant, yet connected in
all my being with the powerful energy of the universe. This is when I can really
see the world, the physical, vast expanses, down to the minute details that make
it up, the play of light creating shapes and colors. This is when I become aware
of the less obvious, that which is concealed in the shadows, in reflections, and in
my heart.
Website:
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