George Mayer: Light. Shadow. Form.

Working at the boundary between light and darkness, George Mayer builds a visual language rooted in constructivism and minimalism. His work reflects a constant search for balance — between form and meaning, consciousness and the unknown.

Tell us about your work. How would you describe your photography style?

What I do is to study what happens at the boundary of light and shadow. Light itself, however, has a symbolic meaning for me, as does darkness. The characters in my photographs are often in a state of balance between these two phenomena to find their harmony.

What inspires you? Where do you get ideas for your photography?

What inspires me most is simplicity. First of all, the simplicity of forms and ideas. When I worked as an interior designer, the Bauhaus school was my reference point. When I moved into photography, I kept my love of constructivism and minimalism. My photographs often lack volume, figures look flat and decorative, and body lines are geometric. Why complicate your work when you can convey your emotion through a few simple lines?

What does photography mean to you?

Photography is one of the tools for people to communicate with each other. In this respect it is not too different from poetry or music. If we talk about artistic photography, it is a way to convey your ideas and emotions to intelligent viewers who are able to understand art in the same way they understand speech or writing.

How Do You Stay Motivated In Your Work?

Every author who achieves a high level of skill feels their involvement in the global community of artists. He or she is able to lay a new brick in the temple of visual arts. It is very inspiring and at the same time very demanding.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I hope to continue to do both creative and commercial photography, but also to teach more. Right now I've started several courses in Russian, but I plan to share my experience with a worldwide audience in the future.

Among your works, which one is your favorite? Why?

It is difficult to answer, I am emotionally attached to many shots and they are important to me personally. But I can single out the portrait "Light. Shadows. Perfect woman #3". In this picture you can see the whole essence of my work. The light in the frame becomes a symbol of our consciousness, that is, of what we know about ourselves. Whereas a large part of the figure is in deep shadow, which symbolizes what is hidden from our understanding – our subconscious.

What are your upcoming projects?

Now I plan to explore the NFT digital marketplace. Especially for this purpose, I create portraits that reflect my attitude to disturbing world events, such as the danger of nuclear war. This time I’m going to use a very active color, the symbolism of which will help me convey the essence of ideas.

First published in HOLLYWAY Magazine.

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