5.5 Minutes of Tonight 2
aMbiAncE mOushKiLa
I’m a huge fan of Ambiance-Moushkila, Flickr’s number one smoking self-portraitist. Real name Fadil, place of residence Kansas, Moushkila’s portraits swirl in whites while anchored in black backgrounds, often punctuated in his own Arabic calligraphies. Smoke swirls. Words drape. And his face emerges.
I’ll never forget the first time I saw one of his self portraits. I’m sure I uttered something pithy and profound like “oh wow oh wow oh wow oh wow.” It was a straight ahead photo awash in a mid-tone of grays, a lace curtain of smoke. Since then the portraits have gotten better and better while their contrasts have been ramped up a percentage or ten. Same face. Same smoke. Yet, each portrait seems to capture something new, emerging or dissolving. Moushkila rises from his self-rolled ashes again and again. – Marya Figueroa
Blog photograph copyrighted to the photographer and used with permission by utata.org. All photographs used on utata.org are stored on flickr.com and are obtained via the flickr API. Text is copyrighted to the author, catherinejamieson and is used with permission by utata.org. Please see Show and Share Your Work
