Ayline Olukman, 37, is a photographer and visual artist. When she was studying at the International Center of Photography, New York, the French artist could not afford to travel, so she started creating in her studio instead. “I photographed still lifes and models that I mixed with my paintings. They were my inner landscapes. I used photography to illustrate my feelings, and get to know myself better,” she says. Though the workspace was a source of inspiration, it also held back her creative process. Seeking new adventures became necessary. Between the studio and the American deserts, she explored the past and the present. “Photography is freedom: I move and create a different timeline, almost in suspension. I explore the great outdoors. The studio work is a phase where I establish a daily routine, allowing instinct to emerge. I paint the image, I create collages in order to increase the reality I captured before.” About the mirror reflects the duality of the artist’s work, which oscillates between reality and dream. “I like to be on the edge of things. To stay in mystery and ambiguity. I like that an image is both frozen and totally transformable.” Still lifes, bodies and landscapes blend together in an organic and sensual series.
© Ayline Olukman
