HESAMADDIN REZAEI - EXPOSURE EMERGING PHOTOGRAPHERS SHOWCASE

In this digitalized world, for many people, Google map street view is a source for sightseeing. People can easily see and explore most of the streets and sights in the world through Google map. This experience would give viewers who are not from those areas the sense of the (digitally) examined area. This series shows my perception of different areas in Calgary, which I explore by walking in the city as a flaneur; in comparison with google map street view as a dominant source for sightseeing. In my experience, especially about Calgary, I understand that my perception of Calgary is exceptionally far from what I see on Google maps. I committed myself to understand better this phenomenon: How our perception is different from the google maps street view and how that perception is related to our aesthetic experiences. Walking is totally different from Google street view; everything you see or feel directs the sense of the place, including birds' sounds and smells. Perception doesn't just come from seeing. I use deadpan photography, and by using digital manipulation, present my perception. I believe machinery/automated photos like Google maps street views are not suitable for understanding a place; they just offer visual information. We should remember that perception would not come just with seeing.

BIOGRAPHY

Hesam Rezaei is an Iranian artist and art instructor that lives in Calgary, Canada. English literature as a field of study for his B.A. let him experience a kind of photography that could be equivalent to poetry. He has a master’s degree in photography from the University of Art in Tehran, Iran; recently, he received his second master’s in Fine Arts from the University of Calgary.

While he considers practicing photography an epistemological journey, most of his works focus on pedagogic, collaborative, and participatory arts with an eye on the meaning of perception. The critical concept in practicing photography for him is confronting and understanding different perceptions. He has years of experience in Art Teaching focuses on photography. Following the contemporary Art theories, he brings his photography classes to participatory pedagogic artworks. He thinks being an Art teacher and being an Artist simultaneously means producing as well as teach.