Ronen Goldman has an eye for the uniquely absurd. Through his works, he allows us to get a glimpse of the surreal scenes that show up in his dreams. Hold on tight to your seat, It's going to be a thrilling ride…
In “The Surrealistic Pillow Project,” Goldman is like a magician who impresses us with a large arsenal of amazing photographic tricks. We recently caught up with him and he was kind enough to answer some questions for us. Be sure to check out that interview, below.
Could you please give us a brief description about yourself?
Hello! My name is Ronen Goldman. I'm a surreal and conceptual photographer from Tel Aviv, Israel. For the past four years, I have been working on something I call “The Surrealistic Pillow Project.” Basically, they are reconstructing dreams I've had during this period of time that were made into visual creations. The resulting images convey happiness, sadness, exhilaration or sheer paranoia – as dreams often do. All photos were created at one location and in one session in order for all the lighting to be believable and realistic even when the situation is not.
Your photos are so fun and magical. What inspires you to create your works of art?
Thanks! I find inspiration in art, music, painting, dance and human behavior. I love photography for its ability to convey a universal message using the language of sight and perception. I also like how our brain tells us that what we see must be real if it is optically correct – and then I use that fact to create my message.
How much digital manipulation goes into your work? What are your favorite tools?
I usually use Photoshop but It really depends on what the scene calls for. Sometimes there is no Photoshop like the image “Curiousity” which was simply shot at the right angle. But others, like “The Magician” was created using the aid of Photoshop and masking.
What type emotions do you want your viewers to feel when they see your pieces?
I suppose people will feel what they feel, I dont really control that. I've found that sometimes images I intended to be sad are understood as full of hope and happiness and vice versa, so I simply create what's on my mind and hopefully people will connect with it in different ways. That's really fine, too. I do hope the underlying sense people get is that the world is truly amazing and our imagination is endless.
What piece of advice would you give to aspiring photographers?
If you are a photographer or not one yet (everyone should be), keep taking photos and creating whatever art it is that you're into. It won't all be great but each piece created gets you one more step closer towards that perfect piece of art. Don't be afraid of failure, there is none. Or like a teacher of mine once said, ” My best piece of art is the one I'm going to create next.”
Thanks for the interview, Ronen. Keep up the great work!
