INTRODUCING ULIJONA ODISARIJA
I’m from Vilnius, Lithuania, but it’s been over a year since I moved to London. I love my house in Vilnius, my garden, my street. I could spend days at home without going anywhere. That must have been the reason why I had to leave. Now I’d move from London easily, I guess I just need to change things constantly. I turned 26 half hour ago. Four years ago my photographer boyfriend Paul Herbst told me I should take pictures. We bought some film, put it in the camera my dad had given me when I was 12 (it had never been used) and I started. I just needed that push. I was always fascinated with still image. It’s so secretive yet revealing. And very intimate. I am so very sentimental. The only goal is to never stop taking pictures. And it’s hard. I became lazy and I take much less pictures than I used to. I just want to be happy with what I’m doing, I want to be creative. I became even more sentimental since I started taking pictures, but I also developed this ability to detach myself from situations and frieze in a moment. Like Harry Potter. I am pretty sure I would be in a very different place if I hadn’t started taking pictures. Maybe now I would be writing a press release for a frozen seafood distribution company’s event. When in fact I am unemployed. I really love my Yashica T4. I always feel weird when someone asks to use it. It’s the same as if you asked to borrow my underwear. And I love Mac Photobooth, it’s a miracle. This picture is from my first roll of film. I think all the pictures from this roll were taken in my room. These are some old roses that stank, but they look like they’re living intelligent creatures in this one. I had other roses after these roses, and other flowers in the same spot, and I always tried to repeat this picture but it never came out well. Paul Herbst is immensely talented and extraordinary, but I will sound pathetic if try to explain why I love his work.
